The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari has performed the groundbreaking ceremony to flag off the construction of the Kano to Maradi Railway project, linking Nigeria to the Niger Republic. 

President Buhari who performed the ground-breaking ceremony virtually on the 9th of February, 2021, said that the project would help the country “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.”

 

Yesterday I presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of yet another vital and transformational transportation infrastructure. #KanoMaradiRail pic.twitter.com/siKarwLLu4

— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) February 10, 2021

He further called on investors to partner with the Federal Government on the development of the West-East coastal line from Lagos to Calabar, linking Onitsha, Benin, Warri, Yenegao, Port Harcourt, Aba and Uyo.

The rail line which spans 25 kilometres, with its 15 railway stations of different categories, would link 3 states, Kano, Jigawa and Kastina, before terminating in Maradi in the Niger Republic. 

Physically present at the groundbreaking site were dignitaries such as the Ministers of Interior, Information and Culture, Foreign Affairs, Heath, Science and Technology, the governors of Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, and Maradi in the Niger Republic.

The $1.9 billion project, when completed, is designed to enhance trans-Saharan trade between the two African countries. It is expected to reach substantial completion sometime in 2023.