President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday flagged off the construction of the Kano-Maradi railway project, which traverses through Kazaure, Daura, Katsina and up to the border town of Jibiya and the Niger Republic city of Maradi.
In September last year, the Federal Executive Council approved $1.96 billion for the 248-kilometre Kano-Maradi rail project.
The federal government later had signed a memorandum of understanding with Mota-Engil Group, the railway project contractor, with a completion agreement of 36 months.
At the virtual event on Tuesday, President Buhari said that the rail project further strengthens his administration’s commitment to improving the transport sector and promoting economic activities.
This, he said, is because “the cities of Jibiya and Maradi constitute a significant trading core between Nigeria and the Niger Republic – a tradition dating back many centuries.
“This vital infrastructure line will establish an end-to-end logistic supply chain in railway transport services between northern and southern regions of the country, reaching Nigerian southern ports of Lagos and Warri.
“The Kano–Maradi rail line has been identified as a viable line that will significantly enhance the movement of passengers and freight to the hinterland, especially raw materials from both agricultural and mineral resources for our industries.
“The project, when completed, would serve the import and export of goods to the Niger Republic and other countries in the sub-region through Nigerian ports. The country would earn revenue through expansion of trade and commerce, while the people of Niger Republic will benefit from the ease of transportation logistics at an affordable cost in their import and export business.
“The connection to the Niger Republic through rail will also foster Trans-Sahara trade and contribute to the expected gains in the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.”
Speaking on other projects, Buhari said in the eastern corridor of the country, the Port Harcourt–Enugu–Makurdi–Maiduguri rail line with branches to Owerri, Imo State and Damaturu, Yobe state have been awarded for reconstruction to include a deep seaport in Bonny Island and a railway industrial park in Port Harcourt.
He added that financial arrangements are being made with other partners on the West-East coastal rail line from Lagos to Calabar and linking Onitsha, Benin, Warri, Yenegao, Port Harcourt, Aba and Uyo.