Portuguese engineering and construction company Mota-Engil has commenced construction work on the $1.96bn Nigeria-Niger railway project.
Slated to be completed in the next three years, the project will see the construction of the 283km of railway line from the northern trading hub of Kano to the town of Maradi on the other side of the Nigeria-Niger border.
Last year, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has granted approval for work on the railway project, which will deliver 15 stations along the corridor.
According to premiumtimesng.com, the new rail project is expected to boost socio-economic activities in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states in Nigeria and Maradi in Niger Republic.
As reported in Premium Times, Nigeria Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi had tweeted that Mota-Engil has also agreed to construct a university as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) while working on the rail project.
As per the views of Amaechi, the rail line would help Nigeria to compete with other coastal countries in West Africa to service its landlocked neighbours in the movement of cargoes and will help to make the Lagos seaports more viable.
Amaechi commented that the Nigeria-Niger railway project will also be connected with the Lagos-Kano railway lines to improve and stimulate agricultural and manufacturing activities in the country.
In May last year, PORR and Mota-Engil Central Europe had signed a PLN989.7m contract with General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) in Poland to design and build the 15km-long section of the S1 expressway between O?wi?cim and Dankowice.
