Régie du Chemin de Fer Abidjan-Niger

The Abidjan-Niger Railway is a 1260km single-track metric line in francophone West Africa that links Abidjan, Ivory Coast to Ougadogou, Burkina Faso. The Abidjan-Niger railway, like other railways on the continent, was a significant tool constructed and utilized by colonial powers for the purpose of economic exploitation of the West African region. In the 1960s, after independence, both countries decided to take charge of the management of the railway. During a period of economic crisis in the 90s, and under the influence of the IMF and World bank’s structural adjustment policies, both countries decided to hand over the management of the railway to the consortium “Sitarail” composed of (Bolloré group and Maersk) on September 1995.