Chinese loan to pay for Nigerian road rebuild

A loan from the 1290 Export-Import Bank of China (6018 Exim Bank of China) will help pay for the rebuilding of an important road section in Nigeria. Approval for the funding package was given by Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council, headed by the country’s president, Muhammadu Buhari. The funding will go towards phase II of the works to rebuild the road connecting capital Abuja with the city of Makurdi. The work will rebuild the A234 highway from Abuja to Akwanga, as well as the A3 highway running from Akwanga to Makurdi. The A3 route between Akwanga and Lafia to the north of Makurdi is in particular need of improvements as this stretch has numerous sharp curves and its record for safety is poor. The A3 is a key north-south highway in Nigeria, running from Maidugri in the north east of the country and close to the Cameroon border as well as Chad, down through Enugu to Port Harcourt, the centre of the country’s oil industry. The A234 meanwhile is important as it connects the A2 highway, which runs from the border with Niger, through Kano, Zaria and Kaduna, with the capital Abuja and the A3 highway.