Afro-capital

From a small village of a few hundred souls, Abidjan has grown into a metropolis of over six million inhabitants in less than a century. Now the third largest French-speaking city in the world, after Kinshasa and Paris, it is the nerve centre of Côte d'Ivoire, accounting for over 60% of the country's GDP. The ‘Afro-capital’ is also establishing itself as a strong cultural centre, an impressive melting pot attracting talent and ambition from across the continent and beyond. Babi (Abidjan's nickname) sets the pace. Since 2011, under President Alassane Ouattara's leadership, the Pearl of the Lagoons has experienced rapid growth. The city is expanding, with a population of probably 10 million if you count its ‘wide’ boundaries, from Jacqueville to Assinie.

The skyline of the Plateau, the business district, is taking shape, and soon the 'F Tour', designed by architect Pierre Fakhoury, will be one of the tallest buildings in Africa. To keep pace with this momentum, the city is a permanent construction site. It is necessary to correct the mistakes of the past, think about the present and imagine the megalopolis of the future: construction of the third, fourth and fifth bridges, more interchanges, completion of the ring road, commencement of subway construction, implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, launching an airport expansion project…

Consideration must also be given to the growing inequalities between those at the top and those at the bottom, and the often intractable problems of housing for all and land ownership must be resolved. Last but not least, the immense challenge of climate change and sustainable growth has to be addressed. From every point of view, the Abidjan project is spectacular, matching the country's ambitions. Babi moves forward with its head held high, powerful and fragile, part of an urban fabric that is unique in the world, stretching along the coast to Lagos, via Accra, Lomé and Cotonou.