Chinese state rail firm gets Nigerian rail project worth of USD 7 bn

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation will work on segments of the Lagos-Kano rail line.

Nigeria has awarded a USD 6.68 billion contract to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for work on a major segment of a railway linking the country's commercial hub Lagos, in the southwest, and Kano in the north.

"The signing of the segment contract agreement on Tuesday concludes all outstanding segments of the Lagos-Kano rail line," the Chinese state news agency quoted Nigeria's transport ministry as saying. The work is expected to take two or three years.

CCECC, a subsidiary of Chinese state rail builder China Railway Construction Corporation, has been involved in other parts of the Lagos-Kano rail project, which started in 2006 and was broken into segments for implementation.

In 2016, Nigeria awarded it work on a segment between the northern states of Kano and Kaduna with a contract sum of USD 1.685 billion.

The railway line is also receiving funding from China. In April, China Exim bank approved a USD 1.231 billion loans for the network's modernization program.