Infrastructure Development and Labor Market Efficiency: A Sectoral Analysis of Transport and Energy Investments in West Africa (2010–2025)

The aim of this study is to perform a structured literature review on the development infrastructure and its impact on labor market efficiency in West Africa with emphasis in the transport and energy sectors from 2010 to 2025. Based on a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed literature, institutional reports, and policy analyses, the review examines infrastructure employment effects through job creation potential, labor mobility, and workforce productivity across nations. Transport infrastructure in turn, reveals the findings, creates short-term construction employment (direct), contributes to trade facilitation and by extension port-related jobs (indirect short term) and enables greater geographic access to labour markets. On the other hand, energy infrastructure—grid development or geothermal/substation projects create long term employment via building industrial capability, adding exports, boosting SME growth and supporting human capital formation. At the same time, this research also points out major impediments to the development of infrastructure-related labor markets, flagging up skill mismatches, spatial disparities and fragmented policy coordination. This is demonstrated through case examples from Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal showing the transformative possibilities and structural constraints of infrastructure-led employment strategies in the region. Related: The study suggests more synchronization between infrastructure planning and national labor and education policies, the promotion of labor-intensive models, gender-inclusive practices, regional integration and targeted human capital development. They are important for infrastructure to ensure its function as a driver of sustainable and inclusive economic growth in West Africa.