The Federal Government has reaffirmed its plan to complete and commission the Kano-Katsina section of the Kano-Maradi Railway Project by December 2026.
The Federal Ministry of Transportation said on August 27, 2026, that work on the section had passed 75% completion.
The ministry made this known after a three-day inspection of the railway from August 25 to 27, 2026. Officials from the Ministries of Transportation and Finance, project financiers and contractor Mota-Engil Nigeria took part in the inspection.
The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation published the update on August 27, 2026, based on a statement from the Transportation Ministry. The statement was issued by Gift Osima Seddon, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations.
As part of the inspection, officials travelled by train from Kazaure to Katsina on a completed section of the track, according to the ministry.
The Transportation Ministry said construction has faced delays because of insecurity, vandalism, land disputes, illegal laterite mining and the rainy season.
Speaking during the inspection, Transportation Ministry Permanent Secretary Funso Adebiyi, represented by Director of Rail Transport Services Habiba Buhari, said the government was working with communities to resolve land-access problems.
According to the ministry’s August 27 statement, some communities were yet to accept the government’s position on land acquisition under the Land Use Act.
The ministry said talks were continuing with the affected communities so contractors could gain access to the areas.
The government also said construction materials had already been moved to project camps. This should allow track-laying work to move faster when conditions improve.
The ministry said the government was also working to secure the trains needed to start operations after commissioning.
The Federal Ministry of Finance said the government had released its 15% counterpart contribution to the project.
Muhammadu Kamal, Director in the Office of the Permanent Secretary at the Finance Ministry, gave the update during the inspection, according to the Transportation Ministry’s statement published on August 27, 2026.
The remaining 85% of the project is being funded through external financing, the ministry said.
Also during the inspection, Siya Biniza, Senior Country Officer and representative of the Development Bank of Southern Africa, said the bank had invested about $250 million in the project.
The August 27 government statement quoted Biniza as describing the railway as a strategic investment that could support economic growth in northern Nigeria and improve regional trade.
Mota-Engil Nigeria has also maintained its December 2026 completion target for the Kano-Katsina section.
The Federal Government’s August 27 statement quoted the company’s Chief Financial Officer, Vladislav Bystrenko, as saying the section would be completed by December.
Bystrenko said the Katsina-Maradi section in Niger Republic was expected to be completed by the end of 2027, according to the same statement.
Blueprint reported on August 27 that project progress was around 80%, while the Transportation Ministry’s official statement put completion at more than 75%.
The Kano-Katsina section is part of the wider 284-kilometre Kano-Maradi railway project, according to the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation’s August 27 release.
The railway is expected to improve the movement of passengers and goods across northern Nigeria.
If the December target is met, the project will also move Nigeria closer to having a rail connection to Maradi in Niger Republic, potentially improving trade between the two countries.
