ABIDJAN PORT: STRUCTURING PROJECTS CARRIED OUT IN LINE WITH CÔTE D'IVOIRE'S AMBITIONS

Activités portuaires Friday 28 April 2023

Described as the "economic engine" of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the economy of Côte d'Ivoire is largely based on its trade with the outside world, which represents more than 70% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Indeed, about 90% of the country's external trade is carried out by sea via Ivorian ports. The Abidjan Port alone accounts for nearly 76% of the country's customs revenue.

The Abidjan Port is the main gateway for trade in Côte d'Ivoire and even in West Africa Coast (COA) and plays an important role in sub-regional cooperation thanks to several major assets. These include its privileged geographical location, the importance of its reception capacity, the level of its various traffics, the quality of the services offered by all the operators intervening on the port platform, as well as the performance of its infrastructures and equipment.

In his vision of making the Abidjan Port Authority a reference Hub Port on the Atlantic coast of Africa, the Managing Director of the Abidjan Port Authority, Mr. Hien Yacouba SIÉ, in line with the policy of reviving the development of Côte d'Ivoire advocated by the President of the Republic, HEM. Alassane OUATTARA, took the initiative in 2012 to resize the Abidjan Port to match the ambitions of Côte d'Ivoire and to reposition it in the concert of ports meeting international standards.

Thus, seven (7) major projects for the development and modernization of port infrastructures, included in the 2012-2015 and 2016-2020 NDPs, have been initiated and the results obtained at the end of the implementation of these different plans are encouraging.

Indeed, several projects have been completed. The fishing port's mole, which has been operational since 2015, can accommodate fishing vessels with a draught from 9.5 to 11 meters.

The widened and deepened Vridi canal was inaugurated in 2019. It can now receive vessels of any length with a draught of 16 meters.

The Port Authority has also created land by filling in the lagoon bay of Vridi-Biétry over an area of 40 hectares to accommodate industrial port units.

A Ro-Ro terminal has been built and put into service since 2018.

Another project that constitutes the flagship of the Port Authority's strategic vision is the second container terminal, which will be commissioned in November 2022. This second logistical platform will increase the container capacity of the Abidjan Port to 2,500,000 TEUs, compared to the previous 1,000,000 TEUs.

In addition to these achievements, another large-scale project is ready. This is the construction of the infrastructure of the new grain terminal, which will facilitate the reception, from the end of the first quarter of 2023, of Overpanamax vessels capable of transporting between 40,000 and 50,000 tons of bulk foodstuffs (compared to 30,000 tons currently).

This terminal is also designed to play a key role in food security, both for Côte d'Ivoire and for the landlocked countries of the West African hinterland, whose needs for cereal products are constantly increasing.

All in all, some 1,500 billion CFA francs will have been invested in the Abidjan Port between 2012 and 2020, to make it an essential hub for international trade.

With the construction of these modern infrastructures, the Abidjan Port has been able to catch up in terms of investments in the space of a decade, and improve its productivity and competitiveness.