Côte d’Ivoire Ports Authority Awards $2 Billion China-Financed Abidjan-Lagos Rail Contract Under AfCFTA Framework

The Côte d’Ivoire Ports Authority awarded a $2 billion contract to China Railway Group on Tuesday to build the Abidjan-Lagos rail line under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework. Officials said the project is financed partly by China Eximbank and aims to enhance regional trade connectivity between West African economic hubs.

The contract, valued at $2 billion, was awarded to China Railway Group Limited (CREC) as part of a broader initiative to enhance rail connectivity between Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Lagos, Nigeria, under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework, officials said.

The project aims to improve trade flows between two of West Africa’s largest economic hubs, facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region.

Financing for the rail line is partly provided by China Eximbank, which has a history of supporting major infrastructure projects in Côte d’Ivoire. Since 1995, China Eximbank has extended preferential credit lines for development efforts including port expansions, power grids, and highways, according to records from the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Transport and statements by Hien Yacouba Sie, a government official involved in infrastructure financing. The bank also funded the recent expansion of the Abidjan port, a project valued at approximately 466 billion CFA francs (around $880 million), which included the construction of modern container and roll-on/roll-off terminals to increase the port’s capacity to 2.25 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), officials said.

The Abidjan port expansion, undertaken by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., is part of a $2.5 billion investment scheduled for completion by 2020. It includes the enlargement of the Vridi Canal and the addition of a second container terminal, enhancing Abidjan’s status as West Africa’s largest natural harbor. This development supports regional trade by facilitating cargo handling for landlocked countries such as Mali and Niger, according to Afreximbank, which arranged a €200 million syndicated bridge financing in July to support advance payments for the port project.

The awarded Abidjan-Lagos rail contract complements existing and planned rail projects across West Africa. In December, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) signed contracts worth $2.73 billion to upgrade the Dakar-Bamako railway, a 1,286-kilometer line connecting Senegal and Mali. The upgrade includes track improvements, station renovations, and infrastructure enhancements to allow passenger speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour and freight speeds of 80 kilometers per hour, officials said. CRCC is also responsible for training Malian engineers and constructing related civil works, according to project documents.

The new rail line between Abidjan and Lagos is expected to integrate with the West African rail loop, known as the Blueline, which links Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, Togo, and Nigeria. This network is designed to facilitate regional trade and transit, with an estimated investment of $2 billion for the rail segment alone, sources confirmed.

The Abidjan-Lagos project builds on earlier contracts awarded by the Côte d’Ivoire government. On May 4, 2013, the government directly awarded China Railway Group an 800 billion CFA franc contract (approximately $1.356 billion) to construct the San Pedro-Man railway, part of the West Integrated Mining Development Project. This line, called the “Mineral Railway” by the Ministry of Transport, connects the port city of San Pedro to Mount Nimba, passing through Man, Touba, Odienné, and Bougouni. The estimated cost of this route is 1,200 billion CFA francs (about 1.829 billion euros), according to official project master plans.

The San Pedro-Man railway project is financed partly through a credit line opened by China Eximbank in July 2012 during an official visit to Beijing, intended for priority infrastructure projects in Côte d’Ivoire. The railway’s phase III development extends beyond 2020, as indicated by interviews with San Pedro port management and government sources.

In December 2013, the Ivorian government signed a public-private partnership with Bolloré Africa Logistics to develop the second container terminal at Abidjan. The investment, totaling up to 403 billion CFA francs ($825 million), includes 243 billion CFA francs from the government and features a 1,100-meter dock with an 18-meter depth to accommodate larger vessels, according to official statements.

China Eximbank’s involvement in Côte d’Ivoire is part of a broader Belt and Road Initiative engagement, with the bank issuing the final acceptance certificate for the Abidjan port expansion, marking contract fulfillment. This financing model has supported infrastructure improvements critical to the country’s economic development and regional trade integration.

The rail and port projects collectively aim to strengthen Côte d’Ivoire’s transportation infrastructure, supporting the country’s role as a regional trade hub. The Abidjan-Lagos rail line, under the AfCFTA framework, is expected to facilitate smoother transit of goods and passengers, enhancing economic ties between West African countries. Further phases and complementary projects are anticipated as part of ongoing regional integration efforts.