The project to develop and asphalt the Djougou-Pehunco-Kérou-Banikoara cotton road is part of a series of initiatives aimed at making Benin’s cotton sector more dynamic and competitive. The cotton-growing areas are landlocked, which severely hampers the transport and evacuation of production for export, as the main roads serving them are not asphalted.
The 209.68 km Djougou-Pehunco-Kérou-Banikoara road is the backbone of the cotton road network in the departments of Donga, Atacora and Alibori. This road, which serves the country’s largest cotton-producing region, is in very poor condition and has little capacity to carry national and international traffic.
The project aims to improve the level of service on this road, which carries a high proportion of heavy lorry traffic and is in very poor condition. The implementation period is four (4) years. Strategically, the project aims to achieve the government’s economic growth objectives by increasing cotton production, given its contribution to GDP, and to strengthen regional integration.