Loan worth US$195 million paying for Ivory Coast road construction

A loan package worth US$195.3 million will pay for construction work on two road links in Ivory Coast. The loan is being provided by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).

The funding will be used to build a new road linking Guiglo with Tai, a distance of around 84km at present on the existing routes. Another new road will link Man with Kouibly. Improving these road links will make journeys quicker and in the rainy season, will ensure that the routes are passable. A report by France 24 in 2021 criticised the road link between Guiglo and Tai for being impassable due to heavy rains.

The loan package has been approved by the country’s government. Improving road links will help develop the Ivory Coast Economy.

This follows on from news that new road is planned to improve transport connections between Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Much of the funding needed for the project is being supplied by the African Development Bank (AfDB). The 1,081km road will connect key ports and cities through Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast. The route will be designed to cope with the heavy rainfall that occurs during the rainy season as well as climate change.