The Department of Infrastructure - ECOWAS Commission

States as key to facilitate the movement of persons, goods and services within the Community. In this light, the key objectives for the Transport sector are;
1. Promote investment in regional Infrastructure development and management;

2. Strengthen sector legal frameworks governing Cross Border transportation in line with Continental Standards, Norms and processes;

3. Establish common operational rules for the provision of energy, transport and telecommunications infrastructure and services in the region; and

4. Promote regional transport and transit facilitation in the ECOWAS Region. THE DEPARTMENT: The Department covers all the four Modes of Transport (Air, Maritime, Rail and Land) as well as the Project Preparation and Development Unit of ECOWAS. Project Preparation & Development Unit (PPDU): The PPDU was borne out of the review of the bottlenecks in the implementation of the NEPAD Short Term Action Plan (STAP) for continental infrastructure development programme. The PPDU is responsible for: preparing and developing regional infrastructure projects, promotion of public/private partnerships in investment financing and project management, elaboration of feasibility studies (technical, economic, financial, social, environmental, impact, etc), capacity building for similar structure in ECOWAS Member States. PROGRAMS & PROJECTS:

1. ECOWAS Joint Border Posts Programme
I. Noepe JBP (between Ghana and Togo), (Completed)
II. Seme JBP (between Benin & Nigeria), (Completed)
III. Noe Elubo JBP (between Ghana and Cote d’lvoire), (On-going)
IV. Malanvile JBP (between Benin and Niger), ( Completed)

2. Axle Load Harmonization Policy within ECOWAS Member States

3. Nigeria-Cameroon Multinational Highway and Transport Facilitation Programme as part of the Trans-Africa Highway programme
I. Design and Construction of Mfum Joint Border Post
II. Study on the development of Legal Framework for Mfum JBP & Axle Load Harmonization Between Nigeria and Cameroon

4. Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Development Programme

i) Feasibility and Engineering Design
ii) Transaction Advisory and Institutional Support

5. Airport Infrastructure improvement
The specific objectives of the study are: Conduct situational analysis on airport equipment and infrastructure in ECOWAS Member State; Determine current and future needs to enhance efficient operation of airports; Define the viability of identified programmes and projects and draw a short, medium and long-term financing plan; Propose a regional coordination mechanism for the implementation of envisaged scheme

6. Assessment of the Implementation of African Decade of Action on Road Safety: 2011-2020.

7. Establishment of the Regional Transport Facilitation Observatory.

8. Multinational (Cote D’ivoire/Guinea/Liberia): Road Development and Transport Facilitation Programme within the Mano River Union.

9. Supplementary (Update of the) regional railway master plan
The overall objective is to conduct a situational analysis of railway sector and on this basis, update the rail masterplan. The Study will also propose a mini railway master plan covering Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and The Gambia which will be incorporated to the main masterplan

10. Detailed engineering studies of the Kaya-Dory-Niamey link connecting the Abidjan-Ouagadougou railway line to the Republic of Niger.

10. Dakar – Lagos Corridor missing links
Specific objects are to: Undertake an economic assessment of the economic viability of the Lagos-Dakar corridor for investment considerations; Establish a complete inventory of the missing links with the description of the road assets, condition and location; Design for implementation, a comprehensive and reliable scope of works interventions on the missing links and upgrading of existing ones.

11. Infrastructure Master plan (Transport, Energy, ICT, Water)
The objective of the Study is to undertake a diagnostic review of four sectors and determine the needs over the next 30 years, develop synchronized sector plans and establish an implementation plan.

12. In the Railways sub sector detailed engineering studies of the Kaya-Dory-Niamey link connecting the Abidjan-Ouagadougou railway line to the Republic of Niger was initiated with funding from the European Union in 2010. The Final Reports were adopted by member states experts in September, 2014, bringing to closure of this activity. The next stage will be to undertake the Detailed Engineering Studies to enable the financing and procurement of the works contract to be initiated.