Professor Brautigam had written about the Trans-West African Coastal Highway in her 2012 post when ECOWAS and Ministry of Commerce of China signed agreement to cooperate in the construction of this massive infrastructure project.
It seemed that the project was moving steadily over the years. The Ministry of Commerce of China had sent an investigation team from CCCC Highway Consultants Co.Ltd (formerly the Highway Planning and Design Institute (HPDI) of the Ministry of Communications) to make an initial investigation tour in the West African countries. They started in the ECOWAS office in Nigeria on Feb 11. They just finished meeting with seven Chinese companies that had extensive road construction experience in Ghana at China's Economic and Commercial Counselor's office. This seems the typical working procedure. They will continue their trip westward.
A quick recap of the project: the massive project involves 11 countries. The proposed project starts from Lagos, Nigeria and stretch westward to connect Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, and ends in Dakar, Senegal. ECOWAS wish to partner with Chinese corporations that had extensive infrastructure delivery experiences in Africa to carry out this ambitious project. It is also known as part of the Trans-African Highway network project.
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| Chinese delegation at ECOWAS office, Nigeria. Source:www.hpdi.com.cn |
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| Chinese delegation at Ghana, meeting with Chinese companies. Source: http://gh.mofcom.gov.cn |
It makes you wonder when they complete this investigation trip, in what way will the highway be funded. Chinese companies might take this opportunity to make inroads in investing in the services and products when constructing the highway. Such a massive project, like many other infrastructure projects that is going on now in Africa, will of course transform the West African urbanism and urban lifestyle in years to come.
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