NAN-H-53
Committee
By Emmanuel Mogbede
Abuja, Oct. 25, 2016 (NAN) Mr Mohammad Ayadi, Secretary-General, Trans-Sahara Road Committee, on Tuesday lauded the Federal Government’s contributions to the Trans-Saharan Road project.
Ayadi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that besides building roads, the project was fostering bilateral relationship among member-countries.
These countries are Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Algeria, Chad, and Tunisia.
“We are satisfied with the performance of the Nigerian Government because it has built 1,100km roads and has expanded more than half of it. This is good and should be encouraged.
“The achievement of the committee is not only in road construction but in the exchange of ideas, technology and information, amongst member-countries.’’
Ayadi said the project offered a perfect opportunity for the private sector to benefit from it.
He, however, said that it was difficult to say in monetary terms how much had been invested in the project because of the continuous increase in foreign exchange rate.
The official attributed the development to the fact that the project had lingered for years.
He said although the primary objective of the project was to link member-countries via a good road network, it had created a family, which was working with one goal.
NAN recalls that Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, said recently that Nigeria was committed to making its section of the Trans-Sahara route dual carriage.
Fashola said that connecting Africa with an efficient road network remained the most effective way to improve socio-economic development among countries.
He said Nigeria attached great importance to the development of the road and was making progress to ensure the success of the project.
Fashola said the section of the road between Lagos and Ibadan dual carriageway with a length of 127.70km was currently under reconstruction.
The minister said the other sections of the route from Jebba to Mokwa up to the border town of Kontagora were also being considered for reconstruction and expansion.
According to Fashola, out of a total length of 9,500km of the route, more than 8, 000km have been surfaced with bituminous materials.
Algeria has already completed its section of the route (Algiers-extreme south) which is over 3,000km.
The project is expected to ensure integrated development and achieve economic prosperity by facilitating the movement of goods and services among member-countries. (NAN)
EEM/FLP/JCE
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Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Chukwudi Ekezie