Governance of Transport Corridors in OIC Member States:
Challenges, Cases and Policy Lessons
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 The way information about the Northern Corridor and NCTTA is disseminated through an
accessible website is a good example for other corridor management institutions;
 The institutionalisation of Joint Border Committees along the Northern Corridor.
5.3 Case Study Abidjan-Lagos Corridor
5.3.1 Introduction
The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor (ALC) is one of the most important international corridors in the West of
Africa, connecting five coastal countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, as presented in
with a total population of 300 million inhabitants. ALC has a total length of 1,028 km and
includes 8 border crossings. The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor is part of the longer Dakar-Lagos Corridor,
which is part of the Trans African Highway Network within the ECOWAS region and its development
also falls under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA). It connects with other
corridors on a north-south axis linking landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and
Chad.
Figure 5.3 Abidjan-Lagos Corridor
Source: The World Bank.
In 2002, the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organization (ALCO) was founded by a joint statement of the
Heads of State of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria with support from the World Bank and
UNAIDS. ALCO was initially meant to address the problem of the spread of sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) and HIV infection in the five countries and in particular along the Abidjan-Lagos
Corridor. At a later stage, trade facilitation and road safety were added to the working agenda of ALCO.
ALCO is governed by a Steering Committee and has its Executive Secretariat based in Cotonou, Benin.
It closely cooperates with ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States. Presently, the
Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCoMA) is in the process of being established as part
of the ‘Study of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development Project’ financed by the African
Development Bank. The basic idea is to create a corridor management governance structure with more
authority and resources than ALCO.