A road construction contract worth US$1.07 billion has been awarded to 890 China Railway Construction in Nigeria. The Ministry of Delta Affairs of Nigeria awarded the package of works for Section V of the A121 East-West highway to China Civil Engineering Construction, a division of China Railway Construction. The work is expected to take five years to complete and includes design as well as construction. When it is complete, the A121 will connect Nigeria’s two main North-South highways. ITS route runs from the A1 highway at Shagamu in Ogun State to the A2 highway at Benin City in Edo State.
The link that will be built will run through Nigeria’s Niger Delta area. This area has been troubled by instability with a spate of kidnappings and the construction team will likely have to operate with considerable security on hand to ensure safety. The political issues have to a degree been eased but the area still suffers heavily from the activities of armed criminals.
However the construction of this section of highway has been recognised as being or prime economic importance for Nigeria, as it will improve links to the oil producing region that provides the basis of much of the country’s economy. The East-West link is currently around 65% complete, according to reports from Nigeria. Some of the funding for the work has been provided by the1586 African Development Bank, with the Nigeria’s Federal Government also providing funding.
The completion of the highway will boost the economy of the country’s South East, providing a better link from Nigeria’s economic centre Lagos to the eastern city of Calabar (both cities were formerly Nigeria’s capital at various times in the country’s history). This will reduce journey times and also help to boost trade for the agricultural sector in the highly fertile but depressed areas of Nigeria’s South East. The new highway will also help boost Nigeria’s imports and exports, which currently rely on the port of Lagos. In the future the ports of Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar will also be able to carry greater quantities of freight. In addition, the highway will give better access to the scenic coastal area for tourism, which should provide a further boost to the economy of the South East of the country.
The link that will be built will run through Nigeria’s Niger Delta area. This area has been troubled by instability with a spate of kidnappings and the construction team will likely have to operate with considerable security on hand to ensure safety. The political issues have to a degree been eased but the area still suffers heavily from the activities of armed criminals.
However the construction of this section of highway has been recognised as being or prime economic importance for Nigeria, as it will improve links to the oil producing region that provides the basis of much of the country’s economy. The East-West link is currently around 65% complete, according to reports from Nigeria. Some of the funding for the work has been provided by the
The completion of the highway will boost the economy of the country’s South East, providing a better link from Nigeria’s economic centre Lagos to the eastern city of Calabar (both cities were formerly Nigeria’s capital at various times in the country’s history). This will reduce journey times and also help to boost trade for the agricultural sector in the highly fertile but depressed areas of Nigeria’s South East. The new highway will also help boost Nigeria’s imports and exports, which currently rely on the port of Lagos. In the future the ports of Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar will also be able to carry greater quantities of freight. In addition, the highway will give better access to the scenic coastal area for tourism, which should provide a further boost to the economy of the South East of the country.
