A 228-kilometer two-lane highway built by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC) is revolutionizing life in northern Côte d’Ivoire. The Y-shaped road links the Kabadougou and Folon regions in Denguéle District to both Mali and Guinea, providing a smoother, more reliable route across borders.
Opened to traffic in March, the highway solves the longstanding problem of seasonal access disruptions during the rainy season. Travel times have dropped dramatically: what used to take 4.5 hours from Odienné to the Malian border now takes just around 1.5 hours, and the trip to Guinea has been cut from three hours to one.
Local economies are already reaping the benefits. Northern Côte d’Ivoire is known for its production of cashews, cotton, and mangoes but poor infrastructure meant goods were often delayed or spoiled. Traders like Yacouba Koné report that logistics are now “smooth,” with multiple truckloads moving in and out daily without the delays that used to plague them.
Beyond trade, the highway has had real human impact: villagers who used to lose harvests to poor roads now find they can bring produce to market; shopkeepers are seeing more traffic; cross-border traders are making more trips with greater safety and fewer obstacles.
CHEC didn’t just build a road, they leveraged local hiring and skills-transfer. Over 2,000 jobs were created during construction. The project also included community works such as repairing village paths and donating school supplies.
