FG Approves $461.92m For Bonny Deep Seaports

The Federal government on Wednesday approved the construction of a new deep seaport in Bonny, Rivers State under Public Private Partnership PPP and the construction of a railway Industrial park in Port Harcourt.

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi disclosed this after the virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council FEC, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Amaechi revealed that the Bonny deep seaport which will cost $461,924,369, is at no cost to the federal government.

The Minister who disclosed that the Maiduguri Port Harcourt railway line will be at the cost of $3,020,279,549, added that the industrial park, being executed under a Public, Private partnership PPP, arrangements, is ” at no cost to federal government, but will cost $241,154,389.31.

The Port Harcourt to Maiduguri narrow guage railway is expected to have new branch lines, from Port Harcourt to Bonny and from Port Harcourt to Owerri

” There’s another connecting to narrow guage to standard guage at Kafanchan. There is a branch line from Gombe or before Maiduguri to Damaturu and Gashau. That’s what has been approved” he said.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, while also briefing, said the Council also approved the full business skills compliance certificate issued by Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, Abuja, for the design, finance, upgrade, operate, and transfer of the Nigeria Correctional Service Shoe, Garment, and Leather Processing Factory located in Aba

Abia State as well as Janguza, Kano State under a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

He disclosed that the full business skills certificate and the investment will cost N5.1bn.

No fewer than 1,330 people are expected to have direct employment, while about 3,000 people will have indirect employment.

“The benefit beside the employment of Nigerians is the opportunity for training of the inmates of our correctional facilities in Janguza, Kano State and Aba in Abia State.