The development of road infrastructure is one of the main objectives of the Ivorian government aimed at improving the mobility of the population. Thus, the continuous investments made in the road sector have allowed, during the period from 2016 to 2020, the construction of 1,004 km of new paved roads, including 878 km of intercity roads and 126 km of urban roads.
As of the end of December 2020, the length of the intercity network is approximately 82,000 km of classified roads, including 7,500 km of paved roads, of which 248 km are highways and 1,500 concrete structures. Regarding the paved urban roads, they are estimated to be over 4,000 km, including 2,000 km in Abidjan. As for the unclassified network, consisting of rural tracks, it is estimated to be over 200,000 km.
Furthermore, infrastructure reinforcement works are underway and focus on:
- the extension of the Northern highway to Bouaké;
- the construction of the fourth bridge; the construction of the cable-stayed bridge in Cocody;
- the construction of the Indénié interchange;
- the development of the bypass highway around the city of Abidjan "Y4";
- the extension of Latrille Boulevard;
- the construction of the "Côtière" highway connecting the cities of Abidjan and San Pedro;
- the construction of 10 metal bridges.
Moreover, since 2017, the Ivorian government has committed to the development and improvement of road transport services through the implementation of a series of reforms. These include:
- the creation of the Road Transport Development Fund, by decree N°2014-96 of March 14, 2014, to lead the policy of renewing the vehicle fleet of private transporters;
- the increase in the number of buses and service lines in public transport.
Thus, as of December 31, 2021, 500 metered taxis and 832 new minibuses were acquired and distributed to economic interest groups of transporters both in Abidjan and in the interior of the country.
The services of public urban road transport are concentrated in the city of Abidjan and centered around mass urban transport by bus operated by the Abidjan Transport Company (SOTRA), which benefits from a concession agreement with the State of Côte d'Ivoire.
SOTRA's services have significantly improved since 2018 thanks to the strengthening of the vehicle fleet and the opening of new lines to meet the growing needs of the population. Thus, as of December 31, 2021, SOTRA operated 134 lines in Abidjan, with 1,432 buses serving an average volume of 1,000,000 passengers per day, compared to 96 lines and a fleet of fewer than 482 buses in 2017.
Additionally, as part of the implementation of structured urban transport networks in the major cities of the interior, SOTRA has expanded its services to the city of Bouaké since September 2021.
However, with only 7 km of dedicated lanes in the city of Abidjan, SOTRA's bus rotations are affected by the numerous traffic congestions recorded in Abidjan.
Evolution of passenger traffic transported in Abidjan by SOTRA (Buses)
|
INDICATOR |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Number of passengers transported |
103,639 |
77,322 |
81,197 |
123,306 |
201,910 |
233,863 |
253,039 |
|
Number of buses in Abidjan |
488 |
390 |
482 |
618 |
840 |
1,044 |
1,432 |
Source: Ministry of Transport, SOTRA
Aside from SOTRA, urban transport services are mainly provided by private companies that serve the municipalities and outskirts of Abidjan through minibuses known as "gbaka," five-seater vehicles including the driver (metered taxis and "woro-woro"). However, private urban transport is characterized by the aging of minibuses and the incivility of their drivers.
As for intercity road transport, it is provided by private companies whose vehicle fleet mainly consists of buses and minibuses (Gbaka).
In terms of prospects, the following is planned:
- The creation of several Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, namely the East-West BRT connecting the municipalities of Yopougon and Bingerville (20 km), the BRT on Latrille Boulevard (10 km), the BRT on Alassane OUATTARA Boulevard in Yopougon (5 km), the BRT on the Y4 bypass (26 km), the BRT on Zoo Road (8 km), the BRT on the Grand Bassam expressway (7 km), the BRT on Vridi Boulevard (10 km), the BRT on the lagoon boulevard (7 km), the BRT on the Yopougon expressway (10 km), the BRT on the main avenue of Bel Air in Yopougon (5 km);
- The construction of modern bus stations in several major cities (Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Bouaké, Daloa, Korhogo, San Pedro);
- The construction of ten (10) modern driving license examination centers (theory and driving) in regional capitals (Abidjan, Bouaké, San Pedro, Yamoussoukro, Korhogo, Daloa, Odienné, Man, Gagnoa, Abengourou);
- The continuation of the renewal of the vehicle fleet (Buses, boat buses, taxis, trucks, etc.).