The Federal Government has unveiled an ambitious national road connectivity plan that positions Abuja as a central hub in a network of legacy highways designed to link all six geopolitical zones and drive economic growth across the country.
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), which is conducting appraisal activities ahead of approving financing for the first section of the Trans-Sahara Super Highway.
Umahi said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s flagship highway projects were conceived as an integrated transportation network aimed at improving connectivity, boosting trade, enhancing food security and accelerating industrial development.
According to the minister, the proposed Trans-Sahara Super Highway will significantly strengthen Abuja’s role as a national transport and economic gateway by linking the Federal Capital Territory to major commercial and agricultural centres across the country.
He explained that the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is directly connected to the Trans-Sahara Super Highway through Ndibe Beach in Cross River State, forming part of a wider infrastructure loop.
The first section of the Trans-Sahara Super Highway spans 123.64 kilometres from Ndibe Beach to the Benue border, while additional segments traversing Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa states have already been awarded for construction.
Umahi noted that the route passes through some of Nigeria’s most productive agricultural belts and is expected to strengthen food supply chains linking Cross River, Ebonyi and Benue states with Abuja and other major markets.
He added that the project would reduce travel time between Calabar and Abuja to approximately four hours, improving the movement of goods, services and people.
The minister further revealed that the highway would connect to another legacy road project through the Abuja-Akwanga corridor, extending to Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, Biu and Maiduguri, thereby enhancing access between the North-Central, North-East and South-South regions.
Construction, he said, has already commenced on the 125-kilometre Gombe-Biu section, which is being developed as a six-lane highway, while procurement processes are underway for the Bauchi-Gombe segment.
Umahi also outlined plans to connect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway through a new route beginning from Victoria Island and extending through Ogogoro Island and Snake Island before linking with Badagry.“
When you look at all of this on a map, you see a loop. All the geopolitical zones are included,” the minister said.
“If you start from Sokoto, you can access all six geopolitical zones within two days.”
Beyond transportation benefits, Umahi said the government intends to maximise the economic potential of the highway corridor through industrial clusters, renewable energy projects and irrigation schemes supported by existing dams along the route.
He noted that the project would create thousands of direct and indirect jobs while attracting investments through tolling, corridor development and industrial expansion.
The minister disclosed that work on Section One of the Trans-Sahara Super Highway has already surpassed 20 per cent completion and stressed the importance of securing external financing before the next payment milestone.
He commended EBID for its interest in the project, describing the bank’s support as critical to ensuring timely completion.
Speaking earlier, leader of the EBID mission, Maimouna Sidibe, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to the project, revealing that it had already received positive consideration from the institution’s first credit committee.
Sidibe said the delegation was in Nigeria to engage with relevant government agencies and carry out site inspections to assess implementation progress, environmental compliance and social safeguards.
She disclosed that the project is expected to advance to the bank’s second credit committee next week before being presented to the Board of Executive Directors in July for final approval.
According to her, the Federal Government’s provision of about 30 per cent counterpart funding reflects its commitment to the project.
Sidibe also commended the construction technology being deployed, noting that assessments indicate the highway could have a lifespan of at least 50 years.
Members of the delegation included Mathieu Anno, Head of Environment and Sustainability Unit at EBID; Onimisi Aliyu, Financial Analyst at EBID; Blaghe Dougah, Head of ESG Department at Sky Capital Europe; and Sheka Humphrey of Influence International.