The China Development Bank has been accepted by the Nigerian Senate as the new funder for a rail project, which is expected to cost close to $1 billion.
The route between Kaduna and Kano, the biggest city in the north, was scheduled to be funded by another Chinese lender, but it withdrew in 2020.
Eight years ago, when President Muhammadu Buhari took office, he made improving the country’s inadequate electrical grid and transportation system a top priority.
But a significant barrier has been a lack of money.
Many billion dollars in loans from China and other foreign lenders have been approved by the parliament, but the money has not yet arrived.
When president-elect Bola Tinubu takes over in May, he will inherit a raft of challenges including double-digit inflation and widespread insecurity.