Transformative Talks: Togo’s Head of State and AfDB President strategize funding for RN1 unity Highway
On this significant day of February 27, 2024, a promising chapter unfolded following a strategic meeting between SEM Faure Gnassingbé, the Head of State of Togo, and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the distinguished President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) group.
The spotlight focused on a crucial matter: the mobilization of funds to materialize the Unity Highway RN1, connecting the cities of Lomé to Cinkassé.
This exchange resonates with previous discussions initiated in Marrakech in November 2023 during the Africa Investment Forum (AIF).
At this pivotal juncture, the goal is to secure substantial funding of $2.9 billion, equivalent to 1,700 billion FCFA.
These resources, orchestrated by the AfDB and its partners, are intended to breathe life into a colossal project: the realization of the RN1 corridor.
In a diplomatic dance, the Head of State and the President of the financial institution jointly explored avenues to mobilize investors and give decisive impetus to this major project.
The culmination of this Herculean endeavor promises to elevate Togo to the status of a logistics hub and a catalyst for economic development in the region.
This sprawling highway, extending over an imposing distance of 700 km, aspires to ensure traffic fluidity while significantly reducing travel times and costs along the vital Lomé-Ouagadougou corridor.
Since 2021, AfDB’s interventions have been crucial financial levers for structuring projects, such as agro-poles, the development of agro-food industries, and road rehabilitation.
Driven by a vision of modernizing the road network, President Faure Gnassingbé has unwaveringly affirmed his determination to establish an innovative policy for the development of road infrastructure.
The horizon set for 2025 reveals a significant ambition: to reach the milestone of 60% paved roads.
This will be achieved through a skillful blend of rehabilitation projects for the development corridor, construction, rehabilitation of transversal routes, and de-isolation.
This new direction in road infrastructure development, focused on quality and resilience, stands as a solid foundation to build the economic and social future of Togo.
Thus, the groundwork is laid for a future where roads, far more than mere pathways, become the vital arteries of a nation in full ascent.
Kodjovi Makafui
