• Sets December 2026 for commissioning
The Federal Ministry of Transport has revealed that the 284 kilometer Kano-Katsina railway project is at an 80 per cent completion level.
After inspecting the project, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Engineer Funso Adebiyi, represented by the Director of Railway Transport Services, Eng. Habibat Buhari, stated that the project remains fully on track despite some setbacks.
He explained that the rainy season has slightly slowed down construction activities, but highlighted that important work has been carried out.
The director stated that the current level of physical progress is around 80 percent and noted that the materials necessary for laying out the roads have been stored in the project camp.
“We have done a lot of work and the project has reached a stage where major construction activities could be accelerated,” he said.
Buhari identified insecurity in some sections of the corridor and disputes over land and canal areas as the two main issues affecting the pace of construction.
“This will only cause delays, it will not stop the project. We have had similar cases in the past and they have been addressed,” he said.
He also revealed that the government was intensifying engagement with affected communities and other stakeholders to resolve land-related disputes and allow contractors to move into affected sections.
“Even if we don’t get everything, at least we will get those up and running by December. Our goal is to have the project up and running by December, God willing, and there is no turning back. So we are on the right track,” he said.
Also speaking after the inspection, the representative of the Ministry of Finance, the director of the office of the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Muhammadu Kamal, said that the government releases were being made in a timely manner and that the federal government had released 15 per cent of the counterpart funding.
He said the level of work already completed demonstrated the federal government’s commitment to meeting its financial obligations under the project agreement.
Kamal explained that the project was being financed through a combination of lines of credit and counterpart financing, with the federal government responsible for 15 percent of the project financing while 85 percent was covered by the financing line.
For his part, senior country official and representative of the Southern African Development Bank, Siya Biniza, revealed that the bank had invested around $250 million in the project.
Biniza described the railway as a strategic infrastructure investment with significant potential economic benefits for northern Nigeria and the wider region.
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He said the inspection showed that significant financial resources had already been committed to the project.
Meanwhile, contractor Mota-Engil Nigeria also reaffirmed its commitment to deliver the Kano-Katsina section by December 2026.
Vladislav Bystrenko, representing the company and in his capacity as chief financial officer, said the first phase of the project, covering the Kano-Katsina corridor, was expected to be completed in December.
He revealed that the extension from Katsina to Maradi in Niger Republic was expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
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