Combined Validation Workshop for Cavalla Bridge Designs and Joint Border Post Designs Drawing for Prollo and Gbaplue Borders Under the Mano River Union Program Abidjan, Cote D’ivoire 24th – 30th November 2022 – African Business

ECOWAS, under the Regional Joint Border Post Development program is collaborating with the Mano River Union (MRU) Secretariat and three  (3) Member States namely Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Guinea, to implement the facilitation components of the MRU Multinational Highway and Transport Facilitation Program comprising the construction of a Joint Border Post at Prollo and bridge over the Cavalla border river between Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire as well as a Joint Border Post (JBP) between Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire at the Gbapleu border. The project management and coordination are being done with funding from the African Development Bank, (AfDB) as well as counterpart funding from ECOWAS Commission.

In this context, the Commission holds technical validation workshops beginning at 25^Th to 30^Th November 2022 to consider draft Engineering Design Reports and Architectural Drawings for the Border Bridge over the Cavalla River and the two JBPs. Eng. Ashoke Malikiki Head of Division Roads and Railways of ECOWAS Commission recalled that the documents to review and validate will include reports on traffic projections and geotechnical studies. The workshop also examined the environmental and socio-economic impact assessment reports in order to ensure that the projects address the environment and the needs of adjoining communities. It also addressed safeguards of the African Development Bank regarding such projects, particularly as it relates the provision for vulnerable groups and gender.

The Ag. On behalf of the ECOWAS Commission for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization, Mr. Sediko Doka, the Director of Transport, Mr. Chris Appiah, highlighted the importance these three projects for achieving the regional integration agenda. He said “the Border Bridge and two JBPs at the border of Cote d’Ivoire with Liberia and Guinea, are projects which bring a physical manifestation to the mantra of the new ECOWAS Vision 2050, – “ECOWAS of Peoples, Peace and Prosperity for all”. The projects also aim to support the realization of the 4×4 Strategy of the current Management of the Commission, specifically objective 2 on “Deeper Regional Integration” and Objective 4 “Sustainable Development and Inclusive Development” on the construction of the JBPs and improvement of road corridors. These projects are critical contributions to the Trans-Coastal Corridor’s improvement. It runs from Praia, Cabo Verde through Dakar and ends at Lagos in Nigeria. The goal is eventually to connect to Central Africa or East Africa, with the end at Port of Mombasa in Kenya. As he concluded, he urged experts from Member States to don their regional integration and freedom of movement caps while they were reviewing the reports.

The Directors representing the Public Works Ministries of Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia also pledged the continued support of countries to the completion of the projects. They pledged their support to ECOWAS to speed up the completion of the designs to allow construction to begin. The continued delay in transport facilitation components is affecting their respective portfolios with African Development Bank. The Mano River Union Secretariat Officer-in-Charge of Regional Integration Projects pledged his support to ECOWAS in speeding up construction.

Given the multifaceted nature of these projects, the Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration of ECOWAS Commission, Program Offices from Information Technology Services, Procurement, and ECOWAS Gender Development Centre based at Dakar, Senegal, attended. These projects will be aligned with other community initiatives, such as the ECOWAS Cross Border Cooperation Program, which aims to improve the living standards for citizens of villages and towns near land borders.

The technical validation workshop ends on 30^Th November, 2022 with the final validated engineering and architectural designs, environmental-social impact interventions, and set of tender documents to be used to recruit the works contractor for the construction of the bridge over the Cavalla border river and the two Joint Border Posts at Prollo and Gbapleu between Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia and Guinea respectively, which is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2023.

Distributed by APO Group, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).