The African Development Bank (ADB) has approved loans to Ghana and Cote d' Ivoire for road rehabilitation, education and youth employment training, the ADB reported on Wednesday.

Ghana is to receive $18.32 million to repair a road between the port of Tema - near the capital, Accra - and the town of Aflao on the border with Togo. The upgrading of the road - part of the Trans West Africa highway linking Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria - is expected to improve farmers' access to markets and increase tourist traffic, the Bank said.

Cote d'Ivoire will receive $31 million for a project to provide youths with job training, improve access to education - especially for girls - and strengthen institutional capacity in line with the government's 1998-2010 national education and training plan.