Kingsley U.N. Chikwendu —
The construction of the 1,028-kilometre Abidjan-Lagos highway, projected to positively affect the economies of Nigeria’s four west African neighbours – Ghana, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin, would benefit at least 40 million West Africans, Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Nigerian Minister of Works and Housing, at the 16th inter-ministerial meeting of the group held in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, revealed last weekend.
The project which is estimated to cost $15.6 billion remained firmly on course, he said.
Fashola who is also the Chairman of the five regional ministerial steering committee, said that resources were being mobilized to ensure the Nigerian axis of the project was completed soon.
“The Nigeria section is the famous Lagos-Badagry corridor, he said.
“As the designs are going on, integration is going on and our government led by President Muhammadu Buhari through his tax-credit scheme, has mobilized the resources that will ensure that the Lagos-badagry section of this highway can be fully paid for.
“Money is now in place and work is now going on and those who are familiar with the corridor must have realised that between December last year and the first quarter of this year, there has been more rapid deployment of men, machines and materials along that corridor”, the Nigerian Minister added.
