Resource information
Infrastructure improvements boosted
growth in the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) by one percentage point per capita per year during
1995-2005, primarily thanks to growth in information and
communication technology. Deficient power infrastructure
held growth back by 0.1 percent. Raising the region's
infrastructure to the level of Mauritius could boost growth
by 5 percentage points. Overall, infrastructure in the 15
ECOWAS countries ranks consistently behind southern Africa
across many indicators. However, there is parity in access
to household services -- water, sanitation, and power.
ECOWAS has a well-developed regional road network, though
sea corridors and ports need attention. Surface transport is
expensive and slow, owing to cartelization, restrictive
regulations, and delays. There is no regional rail network.
Air transport has improved despite the lack of a strong
hub-and-spoke structure. Safety remains a concern.
Electrical power, the most expensive and least reliable in
Africa, reaches 50 percent of the population but meets just
30 percent of demand. Regional power trading would bring
substantial benefits if Guinea could become a hydropower
exporter. Prices for critical ICT services are relatively
high. Recent panregional initiatives have improved roaming.
New projects are underway to provide access and improved
services to unconnected countries. Completing and
maintaining ECOWAS's infrastructure will require
sustained spending of $1.5 billion annually for a decade,
with one-third going to power. Although the necessary
spending is only 1 percent of regional GDP, some
countries' share is between 5 and 25 percent of
national GDP. Clearly, external assistance will be needed.
