A mega highway project is to go ahead in West Africa now that the necessary finance package has been secured. The US$15.6 billion financing deal is being organised via the African Development Bank (AfDB).The new highway route will connect Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, with Lagos, the economic power house of Nigeria, which is one of Africa's strongest economies. The route will run along the coast for much is length, also passing through Ghana, Benin and Togo. The new highway will improve transport for West Africa and provide a much needed economic boost to the region.Nigeria and Ghana have comparatively strong growth but many of the other nations in the area have struggling economies. The route will provide improved access to a number of key West African ports, which will be of major benefits to some of the landlocked nations to the north such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, three of the world's poorest nations.Building the new highway is a key initiative for the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).