Regional EU Business Forum – West African Corridors: Progress in Preparations for Late March 2026

Preparations for the Regional Forum on the Abidjan-Ouagadougou and Abidjan-Lagos corridors are in full swing. The forum will take place from March 30 to April 1, 2026, at the Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan.

The main goal of the forum is to strengthen infrastructure, transport, and logistics along the West African corridors while promoting sustainable investments and cooperation between Europe and Africa. The forum is part of the Global Gateway program, which is funded with 45.3 million euros and aims to improve connections and the sustainability of infrastructure between the two continents.

On Thursday, February 26, a working lunch was held with the Ivorian Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs, along with ambassadors from the European Union and EU member states in Côte d’Ivoire, under the Team Europe initiative.

The meeting aimed to:

• Strengthen collaboration between European and African stakeholders.

• Align the expectations and needs along the corridors (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso) with EU priorities.

The forum will focus primarily on:

• Transport and logistics along strategic corridors.

• Sustainable investments and infrastructure projects.

• Cooperation and strategic alignment between Europe and Africa.

Through this initiative, the EU and West African countries aim to facilitate the movement of goods and people, promote regional economic development, and strengthen long-term connections between Europe and Africa.