Côte d’Ivoire plans 1,014 km of highways to connect regions

Côte d’Ivoire plans to build 1,014 kilometres of highways and 6,774 kilometres of paved intercity roads between 2026 and 2030, as part of its new National Development Plan (PND).

The road programme is designed to improve connections between the country’s regions, production areas, economic centres and markets.

The government presented the infrastructure programme this week during the seventh edition of Connect Côte d’Ivoire, held in Abidjan from September 30 to October 2. The plan also includes 141 bridges and other major structures, including 106 outside Abidjan.

The investment is part of a broader strategy to strengthen economic activity across the country and attract more private investment to the regions.

For Côte d’Ivoire, improving road links is closely tied to the development of agriculture and industry.

The 2026-2030 development plan includes nine regional agro-industrial hubs and several industrial parks aimed at bringing processing activities closer to production areas.

Five industrial parks are planned for the cashew sector in Yamoussoukro, Bondoukou, Bouaké, Séguéla and Korhogo.

Better road connections could make it easier to move agricultural products from production areas to processing facilities and markets, while reducing travel times for people and businesses.

The Séguéla-Touba road illustrates the role of infrastructure in connecting previously distant regions.

The more than 125-km road links Séguéla in the Worodougou region with Touba in the Bafing region. The project, which includes a new bridge over the Sassandra River, required an investment of 104.7 billion CFA francs.

According to the government, the road has reduced the distance between the two cities from about 431 km via existing routes to around 126 km using the new connection.

The project is expected to facilitate travel and trade between the two regions.

The infrastructure programme is part of a broader development strategy. The government also plans five new regional universities, 294 secondary schools and 9,485 new classrooms between 2026 and 2030.

The authorities say these investments are intended to strengthen regional economies and make territories outside Abidjan more attractive to investors.

The challenge now will be implementation: turning planned projects into completed infrastructure and measuring their impact on travel, trade and economic activity.

For Côte d’Ivoire, the next five years will therefore be about more than building roads. The broader objective is to connect the country’s regions more closely to its economic development.