The Nigerian federal government presented in Abuja its first national policy on land transport. The document provides for a better link between roads, railways, ports, inland waterways and urban transport in order to improve the movement of people and goods.
The National Land Transport Policy was presented on 3 September 2026 in Abuja on the occasion of the 19th session of the National Transport Council.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima, represented by his Special Adviser on General Affairs, Aliyu Modibbo Umar, said the government wanted to move from an approach based on separate transport projects to an integrated network.
The framework includes roads, rail, ports, inland waterways and aviation, with the aim of better linking production centres to markets, ports and consumers.
In particular, the Government plans to strengthen the connections between different modes of transport and logistics infrastructure. The railway modernization programme includes several corridors in the eastern, central and northern regions of Nigeria.
The Kano-Maradi railway project, linking Kano to Maradi in Niger via the states of Jigawa and Katsina, was mentioned as one of the infrastructures to support cross-border trade.
The authorities also want to develop links between ports, rail and the road network in order to facilitate the evacuation of goods and reduce the pressure on roads.
The Federal Ministry of Transport has also reported several railway infrastructure already operational or under development.
The Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna lines are cited as achievements related to this integration logic, while work continues on the Kaduna-Kano section of the Lagos-Kano railway modernization project.
The railway connection to the port of Apapa is also presented as an infrastructure to facilitate the evacuation of goods. The Department also provides additional connections to Tin Can Island and other port and industrial areas.
The development of this policy comes at a time when Nigeria has not yet had a comprehensive national framework for land transport.
According to the former Minister of Transport, Said Ahmed Alkali, his approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) dates from 31 July 2025.
The document provides for an integrated and intermodal transport system, i.e. based on the combination of several modes of transport. In particular, its implementation should be based on cooperation between the federal government, states, transport agencies and the private sector.
