The ten-year program also includes the expansion of the national highway network, which is expected to increase from 400 to 700 kilometers, with priority projects including the axis connecting Yamoussoukro to Daloa and a 640-kilometer high-speed rail line connecting the coastal area to the northern localities of Korhogo and Ferkessédougou.

The technical reconfiguration is in response to the demographic surge in the Greater Abidjan area, whose current population of 6 million inhabitants is expected to double to 12 million by 2050. The prolonged absence of urban traffic management structures has led to chronic congestion of the main arteries, resulting in an estimated economic loss of between 4% and 5% of the national gross domestic product, according to the Bretton Woods institutions. The saturation is compounded by a alarming safety record, with 500 bodily accidents recorded in the first half of 2026, resulting in 164 deaths and nearly 2,000 injuries. To address the urgency, the Abidjan Transport Company (SOTRA) has expanded its fleet to 2,050 buses, increasing its annual ridership to 295 million passengers. The executive is now shifting towards heavy infrastructure, with the planned opening in 2028 of a 20-kilometer electric Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line and the commissioning in 2029 of the 37-kilometer-long metro line 1.

The connectivity effort is also being deployed in rural areas to correct the logistical weaknesses of the agricultural sector. The Inclusive Connectivity and Rural Infrastructure Project (PCR-CI), with a budget of 345 billion CFA francs, including a World Bank contribution of 181 billion CFA francs and a public contribution of 43 billion CFA francs, aims to rehabilitate 15,000 kilometers of collection roads in eleven provinces, particularly in the cotton and cashew production areas of the North. The interventions aim to bring 4 million producers closer to marketing circuits by reducing access distances to usable roads to less than 5 kilometers. The financial closure of the overall development plan will require a significant contribution from private capital, expected to account for 70% of investments, a mobilization challenge that will be the subject of a roundtable with international financial partners on July 8 and 9 in Abidjan.


Bernardo

Tags: côte d'ivoire routes bitumées développement transports infrastructures abidjan mobilisation investissements développement rural connectivité