Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs, Amadou Koné, the Director General of the Investment Promotion Center of Côte d’Ivoire (CEPICI), Solange Amichia, and the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Irchad Razaaly, called for the mobilization of financing to support the development of the logistics chain along West African corridors.

They were speaking at a press conference dedicated to the launch of the EU Regional Business Forum, which will take place from March 30 to April 1 in Abidjan.

The Forum will bring together more than 500 participants from European and African public institutions, financial actors, and development partners. It will serve as a platform to promote regional economic dialogue on transport.

According to Minister Amadou Koné, the EU Regional Business Forum represents a key opportunity to build a concrete economic partnership with the EU. The Forum will help guide public and private investments around the economic corridors of the sub-region. It also demonstrates the strong interest both parties place on improving transport systems and the living conditions of populations.

Minister Koné highlighted several transport sector projects that could attract investors, including the modernization of the Abidjan–Ouagadougou railway and the Abidjan–Yamoussoukro–Bouaké high-speed train project.

For her part, CEPICI Director General Solange Amichia emphasized that corridors are genuine integrated economic platforms. She reaffirmed her institution’s commitment to supporting investors through to the completion of their projects and facilitating administrative procedures.

Meanwhile, EU Ambassador Irchad Razaaly stated that the initiative aims to stimulate investment in infrastructure, transport, mobility, and energy, and ultimately accelerate Côte d’Ivoire’s economic transformation in order to strengthen its position as a driving force in West Africa.