Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, has confirmed that the Kaduna–Kano standard gauge railway is now 53 percent complete, up from 15 percent when President Bola Tinubu assumed office. Speaking at the 2nd International Railway Conference in Abuja, Alkali projected the line’s completion and inauguration for December 2026.
He also disclosed significant progress on the 387-kilometer Kano–Maradi railway, which includes an extension to Dutse. The project has advanced from five percent to 60 percent completion and is scheduled to reach Katsina by December 2025, with full commissioning set for March 2027.
According to Alkali, the Kano–Maradi corridor is not just an infrastructure build but a strategic trade artery that will connect Nigeria to the Republic of Niger and West African markets, boosting exports and regional integration. Both projects are central to Nigeria’s infrastructure modernization agenda and long-term economic competitiveness.
