Port-Bouët’s bustling Caraïbes street in southern Abidjan has been closed to traffic since Wednesday, July 15, for a period of two and a half months. The closure, mandated by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Road Maintenance, is a necessary step for constructing the railway bridge deck of Line 1 of the Abidjan metro. Normal traffic flow is expected to resume on September 30.
Motorists are urged to adhere to the newly established traffic plan and follow all safety guidelines around the construction zone. This temporary closure is part of the tightly scheduled construction timeline for Abidjan’s first-ever elevated metro line.
Expanding connectivity: a 37.4 km metro line across seven communes
Line 1 of the Abidjan metro will connect Anyama, located north of the economic capital, to Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Port-Bouët, to the south. The 37.4-kilometer route spans seven communes, offering a transformative transit solution for the region. Once operational, the fully automated metro system is designed to transport over 500,000 passengers daily, completing the journey in just 50 minutes—a significant improvement over the current 8x slower commute during peak hours.
The project includes 18 stations, 24 bridges, a viaduct crossing the Ébrié Lagoon, and 34 pedestrian footbridges. As of last month, civil engineering work on the viaduct was nearly complete, with 12 of the 24 planned bridge decks already finished. The metro is slated for inauguration by the end of 2028.
French-led consortium drives metro construction
The Abidjan metro is being built by a French consortium comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics, Alstom, Colas Rail, and Keolis. Bouygues is leading civil engineering and rolling stock procurement, while Keolis will operate the line for 15 years post-completion.
The total project cost is estimated at approximately €1.36 billion, primarily financed by France through the French Development Agency and loans from the French Treasury. This makes the Abidjan metro one of the largest French investments in West African transport infrastructure.
Abidjan’s congestion crisis fuels metro urgency
The Greater Abidjan area is home to roughly 5.5 million residents. Port-Bouët, a coastal district in the south, hosts the international airport and key industrial zones. Chronic traffic congestion plagues the city’s main arteries, as the absence of a high-capacity public transit system forces residents to rely on buses and informal taxis.
The new metro aims to alleviate road congestion by providing a fast, reliable alternative to existing transport modes. Additionally, the project is expected to generate thousands of local jobs during both construction and operation phases.
Strategic implications for France
For Paris, the Abidjan metro represents more than an infrastructure milestone—it’s a tool for economic and diplomatic influence across Francophone Africa. The project underscores France’s strategy of funding critical infrastructure in its former colonies, where French firms continue to hold a dominant position amid competition from Chinese and Turkish contractors.
The metro’s progress also fuels debates in France about the efficiency of development aid and the return on investment from concessional loans. A successful launch of Line 1 could serve as a blueprint for future French-backed projects in neighboring countries like Senegal and Guinea.
Construction is proceeding at a brisk pace. The closure of Caraïbes Street marks one of the final critical phases before rail installation and the deployment of Alstom’s metro trains across the entire route.