ECOWAS Ministers for Infrastructure, Roads, works, and Justice on the Dakar-Abidjan Corridor have called on Heads of State and Governments to consider contributing funds towards the project’s implementation.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the Banjul meeting which held on the 14^th April 2016, the ministers noted that contribution of funds demonstrates their political support and commitment to the project.

The meeting which was convened by the ECOWAS Commission introduced the Dakar-Abidjan Corridor Highway Project and agreed with the Member States on the modalities for its implementation by member States.

In his remarks at the one-day meeting, the Honourable Commissioner for Infrastructure, Ebrima Njie who was represented by Mr. Jules Gogoua, (Principal Program Officer, Transport) reiterated ECOWAS’ commitment to regional integration citing the immense economic impact the project will have on the region.

Similarly, Honourable Bala Garba Jahumpa, Minister of Transport, Works and Infrastructure for The Gambia, stated that the Corridor Highway project will have a great impact on community citizens by improving access to other economic sectors.

The meeting was in compliance with the desire expressed by the Heads of States and Governments (HOSG) of member States involved in the Project (Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire), to extend the planned corridor development project on the Abidjan-Lagos Section to cover the entire Dakar-Lagos Corridor which is part of the Trans-African Highway.

The ministers also proposed a project work plan which will serve as a road map for the implementation of the project. They called on the ECOWAS Commission to ensure that all the issues raised during the meeting are captured in the drafting of the Treaty and the Terms of reference of the different components of the project.

Furthermore, the Ministers recommended the setting up of a Steering Committee consisting of Ministers of Works/ Infrastructure to provide oversight responsibility and to drive the implementation of the project.

Heads of State and Government of the concerned Member States where also urged to nominate a champion President who would promote the project not only amongst development partners but also potential investors through high-level resource mobilization drives.

The recommendations of the Ministers meeting will be presented to the concerned Heads of States and Governments on the margins of the next ECOWAS Summit. Based on the Work Plan, the next meeting of Ministers will be held in August, 2016 after the Presidential briefing session.

The ministerial meeting, the first of its kind on the Dakar-Abidjan Corridor project was also attended by representatives from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Osprey Investments Group, Roughton International, Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organization (ALCO) and the ECOWAS Project Preparation and Development Unit (PPDU).