With the aim of opening up this predominantly agricultural region to trade with Asia, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has financed a major project that aims to upgrade thousands of kilometers of roads in northern Côte d'Ivoire.

The $571 million project will improve 7,000 km of unpaved roads in 11 regions and will also help maintain an additional 15,000 km of rural roads. In reality, the region is a major producer of cotton and cashew nuts, but the poor quality of the roads makes it difficult to transport goods to the main processing centers and trade hubs. One of the main roads receiving funding is the Dianra-Bouandougou-Bouaké road, 238 km long, which is considered crucial for the demarcation of

Selon Suzanne Shaw, économiste du secteur des infrastructures à l' AIIB , the project would help to make the transport of agricultural products to export centers more efficient and profitable, potentially stimulating trade with Asian markets