The Nigerian Government has reaffirmed its determination to complete and commission the 284-kilometre Kano-Katsina railway project by December 2026, as the project attains 80% completion stage.
The project has, however, faced challenges posed by insecurity, land disputes and the seasonal slowdown in construction activities.
The assurance was given during a joint inspection of the project by officials from the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Federal Ministry of Finance, representatives of lending institutions, and the project contractor.
Officials said the physical completion of the strategic rail corridor had reached 80 per cent.
The inspection also included a test run on the completed track from Kazaure to Katsina.
Speaking shortly after the inspection, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Funso Adebiyi, who was represented by the Director of Rail Transport Services, Habibat Buhari, said the project remained on course despite some setbacks.
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She said the rainy season had slightly slowed construction activities but noted that significant progress had been made.
Habibat said the project was currently about 80 per cent physically complete, stating that materials required for track laying had already been stockpiled at the project camp.
According to her, the government was working to ensure that the remaining activities were completed within the approved timeline.
“We have done a lot of work for just one per cent physical progress,” she said, stressing that the project had reached a stage where major construction activities could be accelerated.
Habibat identified insecurity along some sections of the corridor and disputes over land and canal areas as the major challenges affecting the pace of construction.
Security Concerns
She explained that security concerns had disrupted activities in some areas, while some communities were yet to accept provisions relating to the Land Use Act.
“These will only cause delays, not stop the project. We have had similar cases in the past, and they have been attended to,” she said.
She added that the government was intensifying engagement with affected communities and other stakeholders to resolve the land disputes and enable contractors to access the affected sections.
Also speaking, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Director of the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Muhammadu Kamal, said government releases were being made as and when due.
He said the Nigerian Government had released its 15 per cent counterpart funding for the project.
Kamal said the level of work completed so far demonstrated the Government’s commitment to fulfilling its financial obligations under the project agreement.
He explained that the project was being financed through a combination of loan facilities and counterpart funding, with the Nigerian Government responsible for 15 per cent of the financing while 85 per cent was covered by the financing facility.
The Senior Country Officer and representative of the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Siya Biniza, disclosed that the bank had invested about $250 million in the project.
Biniza described the railway as a strategic infrastructure investment with significant economic potential for northern Nigeria and the wider region.
He said the inspection demonstrated that substantial financial resources had already been committed to the project.
Meanwhile, the contractor, Mota-Engil Nigeria, reaffirmed its commitment to delivering the Kano-Katsina section by December 2026.
Representing the company in his capacity as Chief Financial Officer, Vladislav Bystrenko said the first phase of the project, covering the Kano-Katsina corridor, was expected to be completed by December.
He disclosed that the extension from Katsina to Maradi in Niger Republic was expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
According to him, the project had reached approximately 80 per cent completion.
