After Morocco at the end of 2018, will Côte d’Ivoire be the second country on the African continent to have a high-speed train circulating? The government of this West African country indeed wishes to build a high-speed line between Abidjan, the economic capital, and Yamoussoukro, the political capital established by former president Félix Houphouët-Boigny in his birthplace. The 640-kilometre line would enable travellers to make the journey between the two cities in 45 minutes, compared to nearly 3 hours by road at present. The TGV trains would then head north of the country, also serving the cities of Bouaké, the country's second-largest, then Korhogo and Ferkessédougou.
The project will continue its feasibility and funding studies. It also aims to enhance the attractiveness of Yamoussoukro and relieve congestion in Abidjan, where the cost of housing is high. Locally, the high-speed train is considered a positive element if the country decides to bid for the Football World Cup in 2038. However, its chances of winning the sporting event are slim, as Morocco is already hosting in Africa in 2030.
Promoting economic development through transport
Engaged in a vast economic growth support plan amounting to 175 billion euros, which relies mainly on transport, the Ivorian government of Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé has included this project in its National Development Programme 2026-2030. Other projects include the new Abidjan metro planned for 2029, the construction of new roads and a thousand kilometres of motorway, not to mention the building of two airports in San Pedro and Bondoukou, towns located in the South-West and North-East respectively. Alassane Ouattara, president of Côte d'Ivoire since 2011, intends to make these achievements, and perhaps one day the high-speed train, symbols of the country's economic and social modernisation.
