Construction work on the Kano-Maradi railway has reached 35 per cent completion even as the federal government awaits the release of the $1.3 billion credit facility from the China Development Bank.
This was disclosed when the Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Alkali, during an inspection of the Kano-Daura-Maradi railway project alongside members of the Senate Committee on Land Transportation who were also on an oversight visit to the project.
The minister, who expressed satisfaction with the ongoing project, stressed that the railway transport system can be a major revenue earner for the country given the way many state governors are taking interest in this mode of transportation.
He said, “The idea of unbundling the sector is to allow private sector participation. You can also see the huge investment the federal government is making in the sector to ensure infrastructure is in place.
“By the time you start freight from Lagos to Maradi, in line with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, we are going to generate a lot of money; it will make a significant impact on the GDP of the country. By the time we link Port Harcourt and Onne ports through Aba to Maiduguri, you will see the transformation and you will see how it will be next to oil.”
The ambassador of Portugal to Nigeria, Paulo Santos, the home country of the contractor handling the project, stated that the construction work is proceeding according to specifications as the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
He stated that the construction work is currently at Dutse in Katsina as they intend to cover 320 km out of a total of 400 km.
The Senate Committee Chairman on Land Transport, Senator Aliero Adamu Aliero, expressed his delight at the pace of work despite the yet-to-be-released funds for the project, as only the counterpart funds from the Nigerian government have so far been released.
He said, “The progress of work we have seen is from the 15 per cent counterpart funds from the federal government; imagine if the 85 per cent comes, then they will be able to deliver the project before the due date.”
He assured that the necessary compensation for houses and land affected along the corridor has been paid.
The Kano-Maradi railway project costs over $1.9 billion, that is N400 billion, where the federal government is to pay 15% of the project and source 85% of funds through a loan, which the federal government would pay within a 50-year duration.
The railway will connect Kano to Jigawa States, on the northern border of Nigeria, and will extend across Niger to Maradi. In addition, a new branch line will be constructed from Kano to Dutse in Jigawa State, Nigeria.
The new railway line, around 400 km with 13 stations, will span three federated states: Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina, and will extend to Niger.
This new infrastructure will integrate rail transport with existing road transport to improve passenger and cargo transportation in the served states.
The objective is to develop the Nigerian rail network by promoting logistical integration with other transport networks, thus creating a fast, safe, and ecological rail infrastructure to optimise and improve transportation means.
Once completed, the railway is expected to transport 9,300 passengers and 3,000 tons of freight daily, stimulating agricultural and manufacturing growth along the route.
