The Federal Government has revealed that plans are underway to improve and expand Nigeria’s transportation sector, including the railway sub-sector.
The Minister of State for Transportation, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, made this known at the inauguration of the Transport Trade Group of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). She said the government is already reviving various transport infrastructures, from railways to airports and ports, in a bid to boost the economy.
Represented by the assistant director, rail department, Mr. Ayodele Omole, Saraki said the government remained focused on bridging the infrastructural deficit because no economy can grow sustainably without adequate infrastructure, pointing to several ongoing and completed projects in the country as evidence.
“Presently, Kaduna-Abuja, Ibadan-Lagos and Itakpe-Warri railways are completed and fully functional while the ground-breaking opening of the Kaduna-Kano Railway, Kano-Maradi and Itakpe-Baro-Abuja railways have taken place and work commenced on these routes,” she said.
In his comments, the ACCI president, Dr. Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, stated Nigeria has invested so much in the transport sector because that is the soul of the economy and that the private sector is the government’s main partner in the push to provide necessary trade and transport logistics for the economy to thrive.
“I commend the Ministry of Transportation, Aviation, Works, Digital Economy and other ministries and agencies handling logistics and transport sectors of this country.
“We call on relevant MDAs to partner with the chamber of commerce for investment opportunities in the transport and logistics value chain. Roads, railways, airports and ports are strong economic facilitation platforms and we must develop the value chains along these sub-platforms to boost our national economy,” he added.
In his response, the newly inaugurated chairman of the Trade Group and a council member of ACCI, Mr. Olawale Rasheed, said the Trade Group is planning programmes in railway conference, aviation mart and blue economy in the nearest future.
