Abidjan BRT, a 316 billion CFA franc project, to enter service in early 2029

The Abidjan Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), a rapid transit system using high-capacity electric buses, will enter operation in early 2029, at the end of works estimated at 316 billion CFA francs, Ivorian Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé announced during a visit to the site on Monday 9 November 2026, according to the AIP agency.

The project provides for 20 stations, including 11 engineering structures, and permanently employs more than 2,000 workers. It is supported by the World Bank, the French Development Agency, Japanese cooperation and the African Development Bank. "The BRT is a genuine backbone of the urban transport system," said the head of government, who intends to organise mass travel through an integrated network combining buses of the Société des transports abidjanais (SOTRA), private operators and other means of transport.

Traffic between Bingerville and Yopougon, initially estimated at about 60,000 vehicles a day, is now estimated at between 80,000 and 100,000 vehicles daily, according to Robert Beugré Mambé, who presented the figure as a consequence of the gradual improvement in traffic linked to infrastructure works. The government has therefore chosen to strengthen road lanes and public transport capacity at the same time.

The structures at the Police School, Riviera 3 and Palmeraie should be available in the first quarter of 2027, the Prime Minister promised, although their full-capacity operation remains dependent on completion of the BRT. The network's entry into service also remains subject to resolving the technical and organisational difficulties identified on the site.

The announcement clarifies the timetable for a line whose entry into service was already expected at the end of 2028 for the Yopougon-Bingerville section, in a context where the Ivorian government presents urbanisation as a driver of jobs.