Abidjan port strengthens ties with landlocked Sahel nations

The Port of Abidjan has intensified its economic partnerships with Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, Mali’s Bamako, and Niger’s Niamey, despite the three Sahel nations’ withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in early 2024. This strategic move reinforces Abidjan’s position as a key regional logistics hub, facilitating trade flows between the Atlantic coast and landlocked hinterlands.

Record-breaking performance in 2025

The autonomous port registered a 16% surge in overall traffic in 2025, underscoring its enduring appeal for Sahelian trade despite regional diplomatic strains. A substantial portion of imports bound for Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—three countries with no coastline—passes through Abidjan. This milestone solidified its lead as West Africa’s top francophone port, outpacing rivals in Lomé and Cotonou.

To manage rising volumes, port authorities have accelerated infrastructure upgrades, slashing vessel waiting times and expanding handling capacity.

A new multimodal trade route to Bamako via Bobo-Dioulasso

In April, Africa Global Logistics launched a multimodal corridor linking Abidjan to Bamako via the inland port of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. This route combines road and rail transport to streamline cargo delivery to Mali’s markets.

Burkina Faso’s government allocated nearly 200 billion West African CFA francs in its 2026 budget to rehabilitate the Ouagadougou-Bobo-Dioulasso highway—the backbone of this trade axis. The upgrades aim to cut transit delays and logistics costs for Malian and Burkinabè operators.

Digital customs reforms streamline Sahelian trade

Côte d’Ivoire eliminated physical customs visas for goods transiting to Mali and Burkina Faso on March 31, replacing them with the digital SIGMAT system. Integrated with Burkinabè customs, the platform enhances security and speeds up clearance procedures.

Operators now submit declarations online, reducing border congestion and administrative bottlenecks. This reform is part of a broader overhaul of Ivorian customs protocols to boost efficiency.

Ivorian port strategy amid regional shifts

Côte d’Ivoire, the largest economy in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, leverages its port infrastructure to sustain its role as a regional trade hub. The country’s two major ports—Abidjan on the Atlantic and San Pedro, a cocoa and timber export hub—handle most of the region’s containerized and transit cargo.

In April, the Netherlands committed 196 billion CFA francs to modernize San Pedro and Abidjan’s facilities. Meanwhile, Belgian logistics group Sea Invest plans investments to expand the ports’ combined capacity to 11 million tons annually by 2026.

Why Sahelian nations rely on Ivorian ports

Landlocked Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger depend on Atlantic trade routes through Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, or Ghana for critical imports like fuel, food, and machinery. Their 2024 exit from ECOWAS raised concerns about trade fluidity, prompting Abidjan to reinforce its competitiveness through pricing and faster clearance.

Ivorian officials are prioritizing tariff competitiveness and digital efficiency to retain Sahelian trade flows amid competition from Benin and Togo’s active corridors.