Côte d’Ivoire began construction on Tuesday of a four-year, 560-billion CFA franc ($962-million) project to build a second container terminal and widen the canal leading to its main port in the commercial capital Abidjan.
Among the busiest in sub-Saharan Africa, the port serves Côte d’Ivoire, French-speaking West Africa’s largest economy and the world’s top cocoa producer, and is also a gateway for landlocked nations to the north.
China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd was awarded the construction contracts for both projects with the bulk of the cost covered by a loan from China’s Eximbank.
Construction of the new container terminal, which will be managed by consortium led by France’s Bollore, will last 48 months and cost €409-billion ($461-billion). It is expected to allow Abidjan to increase container traffic from 1.2-million TEU to 3-million TEU by 2020.
The upgrades to the canal linking the port to the Atlantic Ocean will be completed in 36 months at a cost of 151-billion CFA francs.
