The Kano Maradi Standard Gauge Railway has received a fresh financial boost following the approval of a $100 million facility by the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development.
The financing will support the acquisition of rolling stock and operational equipment for the second phase of the railway project.
EBID approved the facility during its 101st Ordinary Board Meeting in Lomé, Togo, on September 28.
The railway is intended to strengthen transportation between northern Nigeria and neighbouring markets while improving the movement of passengers and goods.
For businesses operating across the region, better rail connectivity could also help reduce logistics costs that continue to constrain trade.
The Nigerian project was among four investments worth a combined $390 million approved by EBID.
Ghana received $50 million for MOSL Limited to support petroleum product supplies and another $230 million for development of the Black Volta Gold Project by Azumah Resources Ghana Limited.
The bank also approved $10 million for the pilot phase of the West Africa Initiative for Climate Smart Agriculture covering Ghana, Senegal and Togo.
EBID President George Agyekum Donkor said the financing reflected the bank’s commitment to investments capable of strengthening regional value chains, creating jobs and encouraging private sector participation.
The projects form part of EBID’s Growth, Resilience and Optimisation Strategy covering 2026 to 2030.
