The EU Regional Business Forum will take place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 30 March to 1 April 2026, bringing together public and private sector stakeholders to promote investment along two of West Africa’s most strategic transport corridors. The forum will focus on the Abidjan–Lagos and Abidjan–Ouagadougou corridors, which link Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
The high-level event is aligned with the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy and forms part of the EU Business Fora programme. It will be held at the Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan and will be conducted in French and English.
According to the organisers, the forum aims to stimulate investment across transport, logistics, sustainable urban mobility and related sectors, with a strong focus on improving corridor performance and regional integration. Discussions will centre on a number of priority sub-sectors, including road transport with an emphasis on maintenance and greening, rail transport with a focus on financing and performance, and ports and freight, particularly modernisation and digitalisation.
Additional thematic areas will include digitalisation and sustainable and smart urban mobility, covering new technologies and security, as well as corridor development and regional integration, including multimodal platforms and inclusivity for youth and women. Infrastructure financing will also be addressed, with attention given to foreign direct investment and European and multilateral financing solutions.
The forum is expected to attract between 500 and 800 participants from public institutions, private companies, financial actors and development partners.
Key objectives of the event include promoting regional political and economic dialogue on transport and corridor management along the Abidjan–Lagos and Abidjan–Ouagadougou corridors, and presenting priority investment project pipelines for each of the six participating countries to international private sector stakeholders and financial institutions. The programme will also highlight priority projects at both national level and from a corridor-wide perspective involving at least two countries.
The EU Regional Business Forum will provide a platform for business-to-business, business-to-government and government-to-government exchanges, alongside project pitching sessions, thematic panel discussions and investment clinics, supporting cooperation and investment in strategic transport and logistics corridors across West Africa.
