According to a statement from the Ivorian Ministry of Economy and Finance, France has granted Côte d’Ivoire a loan of $247m intended to finance the construction of the Abidjan metro project.
The agreement was signed recently in Abidjan by the Head of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Adama Coulibaly. As well as the French Minister Delegate in charge of Foreign Trade, Olivier Becht.
According to Olivier Becht, “This is a significant project for the district of Abidjan that will allow for the reduction of the city’s traffic bottlenecks. As well as the facilitation of resident transportation using new machinery.”
“There is a ton of work that has to be done, including moving tracks from the current tracks. This project calls for the construction of new stations, lines, equipment, and metro trains, among other things,” he added.
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Overview of the Abidjan metro project
The Abidjan metro route, according to Ivorian authorities, is 37.4 kilometers long. Two tracks, 18 stations, 21 rail bridges, roads, and a viaduct bridge over the Ebrié lagoon are all part of the Abidjan metro project. Furthermore, when it is up and running, the Abidjan metro should carry 540,000 passengers daily and provide about 2,000 jobs.
The Ivorian Minister of Economy and Finance, meanwhile, said that the Ivorian government has shown its commitment to the project through the release of rights-of-way.
He said, “The metro connects Anyama and Port-Bout. There are two distinct regions: the north and the south. Plateau-Port-Bout is in the southern part, whereas Anyama-Plateau is in the northern section. On the northern part, we have completed the release of all rights-of-way at a rate of 95%. Additionally, on the southern part, it is completed at an 85% rate.”
Reported earlier
Jan 2020
Ivory Coast signs an addendum for US $1.5bn rail project
The government of Ivory Coast has signed an addendum approving the technical and financial offer submitted by the Abidjan rail transport company Société des Transports Abidjanais Sur Rail towards the US $1.4bn rail project.
The addendum which was signed in the presence of Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), and Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, confirms the route of the future Line 1 of the Abidjan metro network.
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Details of the US $1.5 project
The rail line will be 37km long and follows a natural corridor serving 18 stations from the north to the south of the Ivorian capital of Abidjan. Building this overground metro will require the construction of 24 bridges, one viaduct over a lagoon, 34 pedestrian footbridges, and eight underpasses.
The project will be carried out by a consortium of French companies including Bouygues Travaux Publics, Colas Rail, and Alstom. The construction phase of Line 1 of the Abidjan Metro, which will begin with excavation work will start at the end of 2020.
The effective start date of the works and contract acceptance is subject to the fulfillment of two conditions: the Ivorian State making all the land available and the finalization of financing for the project in conjunction with the French authorities. When completed it will be capable of carrying 500,000 passengers per day
Ivory Coast has a total of 660 kilometers of railway most of them built during the French colonial period. The lines link the port city of Abidjan with Ouagadougou and the capital of Burkina Faso.
May 2021
France to fast-track construction of Metro Abidjan, in Cote d’Ivoire
Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Recovery, during a 2-day working visit to Côte d’Ivoire last week said that his government will fast-track the construction of Abidjan Metro, also known as Metro d’Abidjan.
The project is a 37km-long elevated rapid transit network being developed by French companies in coordination with the Ivory Coast Government to address traffic congestion in the city of Abidjan.
Also Read: Ivory Coast signs an addendum for US $1.5bn rail project
According to the French minister, the project is experiencing some pushback such as expropriations and moving people from the sites chosen for the project.
“It is always difficult to carry out this type of project, especially in a dense area in the heart of a city, but we are going to speed up the works so that the inhabitants of Abidjan can see the benefits of the project as quickly as possible “, explained Mr. Le Maire.
Regarding the cost of the project, which was estimated at close to US$ 1.641bn as of 2019, Mr. Le Maire said that it is still under discussion and that he cannot give a precise figure but the West African country can count on the support of France.
Project Development
Back in December 2019, the Ivorian authorities approved the technical and financial offer submitted by a consortium comprising the French groups Bouygues Travaux Publics, Alstom, Colas Rail, and Keolis for the construction of this metro line.
France then agrees to cover the contract with a mix of loans from the French Treasury and private financing guaranteed by the French State. The contract was signed in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron, visiting Côte d’Ivoire, and commissioning was mentioned for 2026.
Ivory Coast had initially signed an agreement with a French-South Korean consortium for the construction of the Abidjan metro, which has been on the pipeline for over two decades, on a build, operate, and transfer basis.
The consortium included Bouygues, Keolis, Hyundai Rotem, and Dongsan Engineering but the South Korean partners withdrew from the project in October 2017.
