Rural Water Transport and Development

Abstract

The Grand-Lahou region, a rural environment in Ivory Coast with waterways used for fishing and navigation, is studied as part of the Waterways and Livelihoods program of the International Forum for Rural Transport and Development. Agriculture is an important activity that employs the majority of the population in the Grand-Lahou region. Water transport is vital to the region because of its isolated location and its important relationship with Abidjan, the main consumer center. The study highlights the advantages and limitations of the area. It also demonstrates the way that water transport functions, the imbalance in supply and demand for transport that gives rise to a need for additional and more suitable means of transport, and the strategies for the development of water transport that have been adopted by different actors. Water transport in the Grand-Lahou region is a tradition that should be preserved in a way that takes into account the region's evolving socioeconomic realities.