Côte d’Ivoire re-opens land borders after nearly three years of closure

Ivorian authorities announced Wednesday re-opening on February 15 of the country’s land borders closed since March 2020 in a move to curtail the spread of COVID-19 virus.

Amadou Coulibaly, Government spokesperson, made the announcement following a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.

Amadou Koné, the Minister of Communication, indicated that the move comes especially after the control of the secondary routes of clandestine passage by our security forces and thus allows a redirection of the travelers towards the official routes of crossing in order to be able to ensure a better control of the migratory flow.

The decision to shut down lands borders has dealt a blow of transport companies which have been lobbying for the borders to be re-opened.

The West African country has already re-opened its sea borders and airspace as the spread of the virus globally has dwindled.