Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road to Boost Nigeria's GDP Significantly

The Lagos-Calabar coastal road project, discussed at a stakeholder meeting organized by the Dawn Commission, is expected to be a transformative infrastructure initiative for Nigeria. Director General Sey Oyeley emphasized the project's potential to raise Nigeria's GDP from the current $400 billion to between $1.4 trillion and $14 trillion over the next 50 years.

The 750-kilometer road will connect several states, including Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River, and aims to create industrial and tourism zones along its corridor. Oyeley warned against past mistakes of uncoordinated development and stressed the importance of collaboration among states to maximize economic benefits.

The project is described as the largest infrastructure program in Nigeria in the last 65 years, with expectations for significant population growth and enterprise development along the corridor. Olawal Opayinka from Makaya Consult highlighted the need for integrated planning to prevent haphazard growth.