In the bid to improve private sector investment in financing Nigeria’s road infrastructure, Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has met with the founder of Dangote Group of Conglomerates, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the former Minority Leader, Federal House of Representatives Ndudi Elumelu and the Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Agbu Kefas.
Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister of Works, Barr. Orji Uchenna announced the development in a statement issued on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.
TheFact Daily recalls that the Minister of Works had earlier set up three committees to work on the contracts executed by some concessionaires with the Federal Ministry of Works with a view to reviewing the scope and cost implications of the projects they undertook to execute under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI).
This private sector initiative, the statement said, would fastrack road infrastructure revolution and bring order, accountability, and profitable entrepreneurship to the operations, management, and maintenance of Federal Highways.
According to The Governor of Taraba who retired as a military professional was a one-time chairman Governing Board of Directors Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) before he became Governor.
The founder and CEO Dangote Group is one of Africa’s foremost captains of industry who have made ambitious investments in the development of infrastructure in Nigeria and has shown manifest commitment in the transformation of Nigeria’s infrastructure through long- term investment in strategic sectors of Nigeria’s economy, including financial services, and infrastructure development.
Ndudi Elumelu is a well-travelled politician and contemporary public administrator, and also a product of Harvard Business School, Boston.
According to the statement, “it is hoped that investors, local and international, and other organised bodies would take advantage of the will power of the President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope administration and the private sector experience and professional capacities of the Minister of Works to invest in the over 35,000 km of the national road network being managed by Federal Government of Nigeria as this road network carries more than 70% of the vehicular traffic, making it a critical infrastructure for the movement of goods and services across the nation.
“This initiative will trigger economic development, job creation, local content development and wealth creation for Nigerian population”.
