Road Improvement Project awarded in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa

Shimizu Corporation (President: Kazuyuki Inoue) recently formed a joint venture (JV) with Toa Corporation and JFE Engineering Corporation in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, and has been awarded “Improvement Works of Three Intersections in Abidjan” being supported by Japanese ODA loan. The contract value of the awarded project is approximately 13 billion yen, and the construction period is scheduled for 33 months from January 2023. This is the first construction project that we undertake in Côte d'Ivoire, which will be our 15th country in Africa.

This project aims to alleviate traffic congestion and improve the convenience and flow of transportation in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire's largest economic city. The continuous steel box girder viaducts will be constructed under the project at the following three intersections: Police Academy Intersection, Riviera 3 Intersection, and Palmeraie Intersection. The three viaducts will measure 335m, 460m, and 485m respectively, including the approach embankments, and the total length of road to be constructed at three intersections will be 800m, 800m and 720m respectively, including the access road.

In Côte d'Ivoire, which is one of the French-speaking African countries, had benefited from vigorous foreign direct investment since 1970, and progress was made in the development of road infrastructure. However, new road construction and maintenance stalled due to political turmoil afterwards.

In the metropolis of Abidjan which functions as a hub for economic activities in West Africa, traffic congestion due to aged and underdeveloped road infrastructure is becoming chronic, and there is a need to develop high-quality transportation infrastructure that can handle the rapidly increasing traffic volume caused by the continued urbanization.

This project will improve the three intersections of Boulevard Mitterrand, which connects the center of Abidjan and the Riviera district, a residential area for local citizens. Each intersection is consequently expected to accommodate the increase in traffic by about 30%. It is also expected that the crossing time will be considerably shortened.

At the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) held in August 2022, the Japanese government announced its intention to support Africa's sustainable development as a "partner growing together."

Under these circumstances, it is expected that the Japanese government will continue to provide ODA assistance to Côte d'Ivoire which is one of the major countries under the West Africa Growth Ring Corridors (WAGRIC).

Shimizu is hoping that this contract award would serve as an opportunity to strengthen its business development in the region of West Africa including Côte d'Ivoire and other French-speaking countries.