The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has taken another step towards strengthening economic planning and infrastructure development by advancing work on a harmonised Construction Cost Index (CCI) for its Member States.
At the end of a five-day Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting held in Lomé on 3 July 2026, experts called for the effective implementation of a regional roadmap aimed at finalising methodological guides for the three remaining components of the Construction Cost Index—labour, management resources, and equipment rental and depreciation.
The recommendations are expected to improve the way construction costs are measured across West Africa, providing governments, investors and policymakers with reliable and comparable data to support infrastructure planning, budgeting and project implementation.
Participants urged the ECOWAS Commission to continue supporting the Technical Working Group in completing the methodological guides and to convene a Regional Technical Committee workshop to validate the harmonised methodology before it is adopted by Member States.
Once operational, the Construction Cost Index will provide a common framework for tracking changes in construction costs across the region, enabling countries to better monitor inflation in the construction sector, estimate project costs more accurately and strengthen public investment management.
The initiative also supports ECOWAS’ broader agenda of regional economic integration by promoting harmonized statistical systems and improving the availability of quality data for evidence-based policymaking. Comparable construction cost data is expected to enhance transparency, facilitate cross-border infrastructure projects and improve investment decision-making throughout the region.
Officials say the harmonized methodology will help national statistical institutions produce more consistent and reliable indicators, strengthening regional cooperation and supporting sustainable economic development.
ECOWAS is working to establish a common Construction Cost Index that will enable Member States to measure construction costs using the same methodology, improving infrastructure planning, public investment management and regional economic integration across West Africa.
