The Sierra Leonean Minister of Works and Public Assets, Dr Denis M. Sandy, called for African solutions to African problems and the development of a somewhat moderate budget for the launch of the Praia-Dakar-Abidjan transport corridor motorway development project.
Speaking at the opening of the 4th meeting of the Ministerial Steering Committee for this project in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Friday, the 12th of September 2025, Dr Denis M. Sandy reiterated the commitment of the Ministers of Public Works and Transport of the eight (8) member states of this corridor to work towards the completion of the project.
Echoing this sentiment, Sédiko Douka, Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, reaffirmed the regional organisation’s determination to see this project through to a successful conclusion.
For ECOWAS, this project is an ambitious and priority programme, aimed at consolidating the free movement of goods and people, accelerating market integration, intensifying infrastructure development and interconnectivity, and making the community area a fully integrated and interconnected economic zone.
This 4th meeting of the Ministerial Steering Committee is of paramount importance for the continued implementation of the project, said Sédiko Douka, noting that it is being held at a time when the preliminary studies for the two components of the project, namely the Praia-Dakar maritime link and the optimal route for the Dakar-Abidjan corridor, have now been completed.
He emphasised the urgency of seeking funding and diligently implementing the next steps to ensure the project’s completion and visibility.
On the subject of funding, the African Development Bank (AfDB), according to its Chief Transport Economist, Ms. Lydie Ehouman, was able to secure grant funding of US$1,793,250 through the Special Fund of the NE-PAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility for ECOWAS to conduct two preliminary studies for the project. These are the initial studies to identify the optimal route, as well as socio-economic and financial feasibility studies, for the maritime link between Praia and Dakar.
Ms Ehouman informed the audience that, depending on the results of these two studies, the AfDB is committed to reconsidering financial and technical support for the additional preparatory studies required to enable the implementation of this highly strategic project to develop the Praia-Dakar-Abidjan transport corridor motorway.
While reaffirming the AfDB’s willingness to continue assisting the ECOWAS Commission in the development of strategic regional projects, she reassured the member states of the corridor of her institution’s support for the implementation of the project.
It should be noted that this 4th meeting of the Ministerial Steering Committee will examine, in particular, the finalisation of the ratification process of the project treaty by certain member states and the preparatory activities for the two components of the project.
It will also examine the issue of financing these components by technical and financial partners and, possibly, by the states in part and the private sector within the framework of public-private partnerships.
The agenda also includes a review of the institutional and legal framework of the project and the approval of the conclusions of the meeting of experts, held prior to this meeting, from the 9th to the 12th of September 2025, also in the Sierra Leonean capital.
At the end of the meeting, the ministers who are members of the Steering Committee praised ECOWAS’ efforts to achieve significant progress in the implementation of strategic infrastructure
projects in the sub-region. They approved the programme for the next stages of the two components of the Praia-Dakar-Abidjan Corridor project and expressed the willingness of their respective states to continue supporting regional projects and to collaborate effectively in putting in place all measures and procedures capable of improving economic conditions in West African states.
It should be recalled that the Praia-Dakar-Abidjan Corridor motorway development project is an essential part of ECOWAS’s broader strategy to facilitate the free movement of people and goods in West Africa, promote economic development, reduce transport costs, and stimulate regional trade.
Considered one of the essential steps towards a more integrated and prosperous West Africa, this regional corridor, which aims to connect the capitals and port areas of eight ECOWAS member states, aims to integrate several modes of transport: road, rail, and sea. These states are Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
