The coastal highway in West Africa

There is a highway that runs along the coast of West Africa. I have only encountered it in sections between Lagos, Nigeria in the east and Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire in the west, but if I understand correctly, it creeps up the coast in both directions for thousands of miles and in various states of repair. At times, it fronts directly on to some of the world's most beautiful white-sand beaches, lined with majestic palm trees. My first trip along this highway, in 2006, was on a bus with a group of Nigerians traveling from Lomé, Togo to Lagos, Nigeria. I was the only non west-African on the bus. So as we approached each border, the west Africans generally just tossed their passports into a bucket for "group processing," while I had to physically get off the bus and go through controls at each border. Each time, as soon as I got off, the bus would leave to go to the other side, and I would have to cross the border on foot. For anyone who imagines a tame and calm border crossing, think again. The border crossing from Togo to Benin was perhaps one of the largest markets I have ever encountered, filled with people selling everything under the sun, from goats to cloth to princess toys. It was a loud, rambunctious, zestful sort of place. Had I not been modestly concerned about my bus that had driven off, I might have enjoyed it. After two such border crossings and many hours sitting in traffic coming into Lagos, we made it to our destination, six hours late. 

A market along the highway

Today's trip along the highway was much less eventful, although it did involve one car breakdown that was fixed fairly quickly. The stretch of highway from Cotonou, Benin to Porto Novo, Benin (very close to the Nigerian border) is not the most picturesque, although it is probably one of the best in terms of road quality, with a double carriageway in both directions in addition to a lane for motorbikes. I am fairly well convinced that just about anything that can BE purchased is available for sale on the West African Highway, including possibly some things that SHOULDN'T be purchased. Another trip, this time to the west toward Lomé, found a road recently widened to two lanes going in each direction, but not yet paved. 

Some things that it is hard to miss:

- the enormous SUVs with license plates from Lagos, Nigeria

- the random herds of goats crossing the highway

- enormous roadside fabric markets

- mangos being sold out of the back of truck

- the often elaborately woven palm leaves and stalks that form buildings along the highway

Queuing for the toll booth

Porto Novo and Cotonou, Benin's twin capitals, fade into one another, connected by the aforementioned highway. Porto Novo is the home to the national parliament, while the president's offices are in Cotonou. Cotonou is also the business capital of the country. Porto Novo (New Door in Portuguese) is a sleepy, lakeside town with some lovely old architecture, quintessential views over Lake Yewa, and thriving markets. The parliament, currently located in an unassuming building in the center of town, will soon move to a new lakeside capitol building. Porto Novo lacks the bustle of Cotonou and appears to be a place worth exploring further. 

A quiet street in Porto Novo

There's no doubt that a 90 minute flight from Ouagadougou to Cotonou makes a huge difference. I left temperatures in the mid 30s centigrade at 9:00 am to land around midday in Cotonou with a temperature of 30. The difference, however, is in the humidity. Cotonou is a place where you soak your shirt with sweat in a matter of moments. The lush, green vegetation seems to drip humidity, and water (oceans and inland lakes) is everywhere.

Travel in West Africa is, without question, not easy or uncomplicated. But it never falls short of being fascinating.