Praia, Aug. 7 2024 (Lusa) - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is holding a workshop in Cabo Verde this week to finalise a report before launching tenders for the long-awaited Praia-Dakar maritime link, the organisation announced on Wednesday.
In a news release, ECOWAS said that the event, which runs from Wednesday to Friday, will focus on "validating the preliminary reports on the financial and socio-economic analysis and the appropriate management model for the Praia-Dacar maritime transport services."
The initiative is "an essential step towards improving" regional connectivity and economic integration across West Africa, the test adds. "The maritime link from Praia to Dakar, once operational, is expected to become a crucial connection in the Praia-Dakar corridor, which currently handles more than 80% of trade and economic exchanges in the region and has the potential to boost economic development in the ECOWAS region."
According to the same note, this initiative to create a maritime transport line is an "essential step towards improving regional connectivity and economic integration throughout West Africa.
"The Praia-Dakar transport corridor project is designed to improve transport infrastructure across West Africa, facilitating better connectivity between member states. This improvement is expected to boost trade, economic growth and regional integration," it adds.
The meeting is to bring together experts from member states in maritime transport and corridor development and partners from the African Development Bank, among others, to ensure that the "recommendations of the reports are financially viable, feasible and aligned with the strategic objectives of the region."
The meeting is also to include presentations and discussions on project designs, investment options, management models and operational recommendations. The next steps are also to be outlined, including timetables and key deliverables for the project's implementation.
The creation of maritime links is a recurring issue in relations between Cabo Verde and Senegal: in 2021, the two countries' ministers of foreign affairs identified transport across the Atlantic as one of the points for strengthening bilateral cooperation, but no progress was made.
Senegal is one of the largest economies on the west coast of Africa and is the closest country to Cabo Verde.
Dakar and Praia, which are separated by 650 kilometres of Atlantic Ocean, maintain historical relations and each hosts large communities of nationals from the other.
ROZS/ARO // ARO.
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