The African Development Bank (AfDB) yesterday reassured Nigeria of its commitment to funding the construction of some sections of the Coastal and Trans-Saharan highways.
The 700-kilometre coastal roads will run from Lagos to Calabar in Cross River State while the trans-Sahara will link Ogoja, also in Cross River to Cameroon.
At its February 26 meeting, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved N1.067 trillion for the first phase of the coastal highway.
The phase covers 47.47 kilometres of the dual-carriageway made up of five lanes on each side and a train track in the middle.
AfDB Director, Infrastructure and Urban Development, Mike Salawou, who led a delegation to Works Minister Dave Umahi in Abuja, said the continental bank would be delighted to see the realisation of the projects.
Salawou explained that since AfDB has a mandate to contribute to the economic and social developments of its member states, it was prepared to partner Nigeria by providing technical and financial support for the development of its road infrastructure.
He said: “We are ready to assist Nigeria. To make it easy for us, we need to have studies and make sure we support you fully on the execution of these projects.
“The dualisation of the road between Nigeria and Cameroon will foster regional integration between the two countries because I believe Nigeria is Cameroon’s number one trade partner.
“We need to reinforce the modernised infrastructure there.”
