Lai Mohammed: Even Without Chinese Financing, Nigeria Won’t Give Up Building New Railways

File image of Nigerian Culture and Information Minister Lai Mohammed. AFP

It’s beginning to settle in among Nigeria’s governing class that once abundant Chinese railway financing is no more. Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi was the first to acknowledge the new reality earlier this month when he told the Guardian newspaper (Nigeria) that the country’s future railway initiatives are now in question given that “the Chinese are no longer funding.”

Now, a second Nigerian minister, Lai Mohammed (photo), echoed that sentiment but said that even without access to Chinese capital, the Federal Government will nonetheless find a way to build these new lines.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Eric Olander

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3
China, U.S. Ink Rare Earth Deal; More Trade Pacts Coming
4
Rubio to Welcome Asian ‘Quad’ Back to Washington
5
Chinese-Moroccan Joint Venture Inaugurates EV Battery Parts Plant
6
Six Million Donkeys Slaughtered for Chinese Medicine: Charity

You Might Like

Nigeria’s Transport Minister: China Expected to Approve $5.3 Billion in New Loans

Nigeria’s Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, confirmed that China is expected to approve a new $5.3 billion loan package to build the Ibadan-Kano rail line. The minister made the comments during an ...

One of the First Classes of Nigerian Railway Engineers Graduates From University in China

One of the first classes of Nigerian railway engineers graduated this weekend from China’s Central South University (中南大学）in Hunan and will soon return to help manage the new Chinese-built railways back home.

Nigeria’s New Standard Gauge Railway Trains Are on Their Way From China

The Chinese state-owned contractor building the rail cars for the new Abuja-Kaduna Railway and Lagos-Ibadan Railway SGR lines proudly announced the trains have started their journey from China to Nigeria. But not everyone’s ...

Test Run for New Chinese-built Railway in Nigeria Sparks a Lot of Excitement

Nigerians got their first look yesterday at the brand new Lagos to Ibadan standard gauge railway, as it conducted its first live test run. This new standard gauge railway is one of eleven ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP