96885 PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS BRIEFS Côte d’Ivoire: Toll Bridge Overview Abidjan’s bridges and infrastructure have been under severe strain following Côte d’Ivoire’s decade-long civil conflict, and the city’s acute traffic problems threatened to hinder recovery. The new Henri Konan Bedié toll bridge, which consists of two three-lane carriageways and cuts the journey time between two major districts of Abidjan from one hour to 15 minutes, was designed to put Abidjan back on the path to prosperity and ease citizens’ lives. The bridge spans 1.5 kilometers and is part of a new 6.7 kilometer road that includes an interchange, two stretches of mo- torway, and a 21-lane toll plaza. One hundred thousand vehicles a day will use the bridge, which cost approximately $282 million to build. MIGA played a significant role in mobilizing the massive amount of private sector investment needed to help the government reach its ambitious goals. This series showcases how the World Bank Group supports the development and implementation of public-private partnerships. This support comes in the form of public sector loans, private sector finance, sector and transaction advice, guarantees, and output-based aid. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS - APRIL 2015 Background World Bank Group Role As Côte d’Ivoire emerges from a 10-year civil conflict, MIGA’s participation in the project is aligned with traffic throughout the largest city of Abidjan, with the agency’s commitment to supporting investment more than four million inhabitants, causes delays into the world’s poorest nations, investment in that in turn delay the country’s recovery. Abidjan’s infrastructure, and investment in conflict-affected traffic problems stem from a lack of attention to countries. It played a significant role in mobilizing the infrastructure, but these issues are compounded by massive amount of private sector investment that was its physical geography: the city stands in the Ébrié needed to help the Government of Côte d’Ivoire reach Lagoon, on several converging peninsulas and islands. its ambitious goals. The project’s investors and lenders The two bridges connecting these land masses are include Bouygues Travaux Publics S.A. of France; Pan insufficient and in desperate need of repair. In 1996, a African Infrastructure Development Fund of South competitive bidding process was held to build a third Africa; BMCE Bank International Plc of the United bridge, but a coup d’état and ensuing civil war put Kingdom; Africa Finance Corporation of Nigeria; and the planned public-private partnership on hold for FMO of the Netherlands. MIGA guarantees of $145 more than 15 years. Nevertheless, SOCOPRIM, the million cover the investment for a period of 15 years project enterprise that was formed in 1997 to build against the risks of transfer restriction, expropriation, the bridge, and its investors remained committed to war and civil disturbance, and breach of contract. the project, and the Henri Konan Bedié toll bridge opened on December 16, 2014. Outcomes Project Description • The bridge will reduce congestion and pollution in Abidjan and will result in a reduction of carbon diox- The project consists of the design, construction, and ide emissions due to lower fuel consumption. operation of a toll bridge—the Henri Konan Bédié • The project, one of the first private-sector led foreign Bridge—over the Ebrié lagoon in Abidjan, with access direct investments in the country since the civil strife, roads to the north and south between the residential will provide important demonstration effects for area of Riviera and the industrial area of Marcory. future initiatives in the transport sector. The total length of the full road connection will be • Approximately 840 direct jobs were created during around 6.6 kilometers, with the bridge itself spanning the construction phase. 1.5 kilometers. To the north, construction will consist of a 2x2 lane dual carriageway that will connect with the junction of the Boulevard Mitterrand and Est- Ouest roads and on which will be the toll plaza. To the south, construction will consist of a 2x3 lane dual carriageway with lateral access roads that will connect to Boulevard Giscard d’Estaing, the main road that joins Abidjan airport. There will be a separate interchange built that will connect the access road to the bridge with Boulevard Giscard d’Estaing. Initial work on the project, funded by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, started in October 2011. Photo Credits Front: Bouygues Construction/Creative Commons license, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ worldbank.org/ppp @WBG_PPP scribd.com/wbg_ppp