The African Railway Consortium (AFRECO) says Nigeria needs more transnational railway lines to sustain and expand its economic influence within Africa.
The Chief Executive Officer of AFRECO, Olawale Rasheed disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja
Rasheed lauded the ground breaking of the Kano-Katsina–Jibia-Mara di Rail line flagged of by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday and called for the initiation of Maiduguri-N’Djamena railway line, inauguration of ECOWAS trans-west African Railway from Lagos to Abidjan and a line from Cross Rivers State to Cameroun.
According to him, the transnational project would expand Nigeria’s economic reach and influence as the biggest economy in Africa, within the context of African Continental Free Trade Area
Rasheed said that expanded trading would alleviate poverty and create new opportunities while corridor development along the route would engender rural development and economy and move many citizens into railway economy.
He urged the government to act boldly by rolling out a private sector oriented fast train between North and South to boost economic development.
