Tinubu to chair session on ‘LAKAJI’ economic corridor at Katsina summit

Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), is chairing a special session on ‘LAKAJI’ economic corridor at the ongoing Katsina Investment and Economic Summit, which was declared open Moday.

The summit entitled “Unlocking Investment Potentials for Sustainable Development” was conceived in line with the regime’s policy trust, which focuses on holistic development of the state.

The Lagos-Kano-Jibiya (LAKAJI) Corridor is a 1,225km transport route that runs from the port of Lagos in the Southern part of Nigeria, through the commercial centre of Kano, and ending in Jibiya at the border with Niger.

Ibrahim Tukur Jikamshi, chairman of the organising committee of the summit, who confirmed this in an exclusive with BusinessDay on the sideline, said the corridor was strategic to Katsina’s economic development.

He disclosed that the corridor was important for domestic, regional and international trade, as it is the main route for moving imported goods to northern Nigeria, and exports to southern ports.

“It links the two largest cities in Nigeria (Lagos with over 20 million inhabitants, and Kano, with over 10 million people), feeds into local and regional markets, and is a vital conduit for food supplies to neighbouring countries, such as southern Niger’s largest agricultural market at Maradi.

“Building on best practices designed its principal trade program around this corridor, with the intent of stimulating improvements in transport and logistics to increase transport and trade speed, and bringing significant, new agribusiness investment to this corridor leading to increased exports, and improved economic growth.

According to him, two key factors that limit the corridor’s potential to transform the economy are the lack of affordable energy and major infrastructure deficiencies. These deficiencies are particularly acute along the secondary roads of Niger and Kwara: the states with the greatest quantity of arable land.