The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Infrastructure Master Plan intends to significantly contribute to the satisfaction of the entire demand of the sub-region by optimally developing the available resources within the ECOWAS Member States.
ECOWAS Master Plan
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Infrastructure Master Plan intends to significantly contribute to the satisfaction of the entire demand of the sub-region by optimally developing the available resources within the ECOWAS Member States. The 15 members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. A 27 June 2022 ECOWAS press release highlighted updates in the progress related to the ECOWAS Infrastructure Master Plan.
ECOWAS Project Preparation and Development Unit
From June 23-24, 2022, the ECOWAS Project Preparation and Development Unit (PPDU) held a sensitization meeting on the ECOWAS Infrastructure Master Plan for key stakeholders, including representatives of member country ministries of finance, financing partners and selected ECOWAS staff. The ECOWAS Directorate of Communication outlined that:
“The ECOWAS Regional Infrastructure Master Plan was approved by the Authority of Heads of State and Governments during the 60th Summit held in December 2021. The 25-year Masterplan covering 2020-2045, comprises 201 regional projects at an estimated cost of 131 billion USD covering all Member States that form the regional bloc. The ECOWAS Infrastructure Master Plan covers four key sectors – Transport, Energy, Telecommunication and Water Resources and contains both soft projects – facilitation, services improvement, efficiency measures, studies, project preparation, institution building, and capacity building; and hard projects involving physical investment projects.”
ECOWAS Commitment
The statement by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Jean Claude Kassi-Brou, indicates that the Heads of State of member countries are firmly committed to facilitating regional integration and promoting trade through, among other things, the development of quality infrastructure throughout the region, including railroads and roads.
ECOWAS Challenges
A major challenge remains, however, for the successful implementation of the ECOWAS Master Plan, according to Mr. Kassi-Brou. This primary challenge is related to sourcing the necessary financial resources to cover the cost of the projects, and all agree that the private sector should be central to this initiative. The cost of implementing the ECOWAS Master Plan is estimated to be USD 131 billion.
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