Abidjan–Lagos Corridor

The Abidjan–Lagos Corridor, also known as the Abidjan–Lagos Megalopolis, is an emerging transnational megalopolis on the coast of southern West Africa. It stretches from Abidjan to Lagos, crossing five independent states (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria) from west to east, and includes two political capitals and many regional economic centers.[2] The corridor has a length of approximately 965 kilometers (600 miles). Within the megalopolis, a significant portion of West Africa's economic output is generated, and cities within the corridor are among the most economically developed of their respective countries, for which agglomeration effects and access to the Atlantic Ocean are responsible. The population within the region is experiencing rapid growth, and nearly 50 million people are expected to live within the corridor by 2035. According to projections, by the end of the 21st century, the region could become the largest urban region with continuous settlement in the world, then with up to half a billion inhabitants.[3]

Abidjan–Lagos Mégalopole Abidjan–Lagos
Transborder agglomeration in Africa
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Nickname:  West African Megalopolis
Abidjan–Lagos Lagos, Nigeria
Coordinates: 5.5°N 0°E / 5.5; 0
Countries	Ivory Coast  Ghana  Benin  Togo  Nigeria
Largest city	Lagos (14,368,332)
Population  (2016)
• Total	27,000,000
	[1]
Time zone	GMT (UTC±00:00) — Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo WAT (UTC+01:00) — Benin and Nigeria

Population density in Western Africa (2021)

After the decolonization of Africa, politically independent states emerged in West Africa and urban growth accelerated. Migrants moved from the interior to the more developed coastal areas, for example in Ghana to the region around Accra or in Nigeria to the metropolitan region of Lagos. Rapid urban growth led to the merging of previously independent settlements into large agglomerations with an economic division of labor. This occurred first domestically and later in transnational regions (e.g., between Lagos and neighboring Benin). However, urban growth was largely unplanned and led to severe urban sprawl, as little investment was made in the construction of multi-story housing. Future investment needs are therefore very high.[3]

Due to the linguistic, cultural and political differences between the countries located in the corridor, the region's economic potential has not yet been fully exploited. There has been little alignment of standards and construction of common infrastructure, and even within the countries, transportation links are often unreliable.[3]