• Nigeria Earmarks ₦250bn For Kano And Kaduna Light Rail
• Kano Project Gets ₦150bn, Kaduna ₦100bn Allocation
• Construction Progress At 53%, Completion Due In 2026

The Nigerian government has secured approximately 250 billion naira ($168 million) for two new light rail projects in the northern states of Kano and Kaduna, according to local media reports.

Information Minister Alhaji Mohammed Idris was quoted as saying 150 billion naira was allocated to the Kano network, with 100 billion naira designated for the Kaduna light rail system.

The projects are part of a broader government plan to boost public transportation services in key states across Northern Nigeria and remodel the national transport network into a multimodal system.

In August, the Ministry of Transportation reported that construction of the standard gauge railway (SGR) tracks for the two projects had reached 53% completion and was expected to be finished in 2026. The goal of the expanded rail network is to ease severe road congestion that concentrates a large portion of mobility flows, particularly in major urban centers like Lagos and the capital, Abuja.

According to a study by the Danne Institute for Research and Financial Derivatives Company, the cost of traffic congestion in Lagos alone is estimated at nearly 3.834 trillion naira annually.

Henoc Dossa