Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has asked Member States who are signitaries to the Abidjan to Lagos Corridor Highway Development Project to take a good look at the legal and territorial parameters of the project within the regional context in order to prevent challenges when the project finally takes off.
The Vice President who represented President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the 13th Ministerial Steering Committee Meeting for the Abidjan to Lagos corridor highway development project in Accra, urged the committee to continue to work, and overcome any obstacles that may arise during the implementation of this project and also put in place a robust communication strategy to market the project to attract promoters and investors.
He also called for a setting up of a body dubbed: “the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA)” to ensure that issues relating to land acquisition and ownership, which have the tendency of impacting negatively on the implementation, are thoroughly managed right at the initial stages.
Vice President Bawumia while highlighting the benefits of the project stressed that, the Abidjan-Lagos project has come at an opportune time especially with the coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He said this presents an opportunity for member countries to expand its horizon to trade effectively.
He stressed the need for deepened engagement to minimise property impact and displacement of persons as much as possible.
The Continental Free Trade Area according to him, will cover a market of 1.2 billion people, with a combined GDP of $3 trillion.
The Vice President commended the European Union for committing $1.4 million for the feasibility and detailed engineering studies.
He appealed to other donor partners to also support the project.
The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor project will see the construction of six dual lane carriage highway to engender integration and economic development. Beneficiary countries include Ghana, Cote D’voire, Nigeria, Benin and Togo.
Story filed by Mercy Darko
