The Enugu State Government has announced an ambitious plan to develop a 135.5-kilometer state-owned standard gauge rail line designed to connect Enugu with key South-East cities and link them directly to the Onne Port in Rivers State.

The project, if realized, could significantly reposition the state as a logistics hub, offering an alternative export corridor to Lagos.

The State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Obi Ozor, who disclosed the plan on Afia TV’s Enugu Kwenu program on Friday, said the rail network would be a strategic move toward regional integration, economic acceleration, and export-led growth.

Dr. Ozor confirmed that a full feasibility study for the Enugu rail network and the South-East corridor has already been completed. The state is currently engaging with Chinese companies and the Nigerian Railway Corporation on the technical aspects while holding financing talks with potential investors.

Details of the Route

The 135.5km standard gauge line will start from Enugu and move through Ugwuoba into Anambra State, connecting cities such as Awka and Onitsha. From there, it will run through the Amechi Idodo axis of Ebonyi State, link Umuahia in Abia and Owerri in Imo State via Nkanu West and Isiagu, before terminating at the Onne Port in Rivers State.

“As part of turning Enugu State into a hub, rail is a critical part of that to enable the movement of agro commodities from wherever their sources are to the port for export and earning of foreign exchange. We have a lot of wealth locked underneath our soil, such as coal. We need to exploit them to be able to generate a lot of revenue, and rail is critical to it,” Dr. Ozor said.

The commissioner stressed that the rail line will support both cargo and passenger services, not only decongesting traffic from Nigeria’s overwhelmed Lagos ports but also boosting trade across the South-East and South-South.

Part of a Bigger Transport Agenda

The rail plan is one piece of a larger transport framework that includes the development of an inland container terminal and a new market station within the Holy Ghost Transport Terminal in Enugu. According to Dr. Ozor, the market station will be located between Terminals 1 and 2 and will serve as a key node for cargo handling.

“We’re developing a major inland container port that will process agro-commodities for the South-East and even the North-East. It’s about giving our economy the infrastructure it needs to compete,” he said.

He noted that the Federal Government is also extending its narrow gauge rail from Aba to Enugu, a separate 24-month plan, but emphasized that Enugu’s project is a standalone, state-owned initiative tailored to fit the region’s development priorities.

Regional Integration Urged Amid Eastern Port Push

The announcement comes at a time when stakeholders and infrastructure experts are calling on the leadership of the South-East and South-South to begin integrating their economies through an interconnected rail network—particularly as momentum grows around the push to decongest Lagos by expanding the eastern ports, including Onne, Calabar, and Port Harcourt.

There is growing consensus that rail development is essential to the success of that eastern maritime strategy. However, experts warn that the current state of regional disconnection will make it difficult for any single state to achieve such ambitions alone.

Yet so far, only Enugu State has publicly announced a concrete plan. While other states in the region—Anambra, Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Rivers—have expressed broad support for infrastructure development, there have been no specific announcements on rail projects tied to a regional corridor or to the Onne Port.

This lack of coordinated effort, experts argue, could undercut the effectiveness of any single-state investment, especially given that rail requires contiguous territory to function optimally across state lines.

China’s Broader Role

Enugu’s rail plan is also emerging at a time when China is looking to deepen its infrastructure footprint across Africa. Amid a growing trade fallout with the United States, most recently marked by Washington’s imposition of tariffs up to 145% on Chinese electric vehicles, Beijing has intensified efforts to forge new commercial relationships across Asia and Africa.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has embarked on a renewed diplomatic and trade tour of several Asian countries in recent weeks, aiming to lock in new agreements that align with China’s Belt and Road ambitions. The focus has shifted toward deepening engagement with African subnational governments as a way of bypassing central government bottlenecks.

In this context, Enugu’s direct negotiation with Chinese companies and openness to foreign infrastructure capital fits into the broader geopolitical realignment. China, already heavily involved in Nigeria’s national railway infrastructure, may see Enugu’s state-level initiative as a model for replicable subnational partnerships.

If successful, the project could serve as a model for other subnational governments to drive their own rail infrastructure, particularly in the face of delays and funding constraints at the federal level.

Dr. Ozor reiterated the state’s commitment to seeing the project through. “This is a defining moment. It’s not just about rail. It’s about changing how we move goods, how we trade, and how we think about our future as a region,” he said.

However, many believe that whether that vision can be fully realized depends not only on Enugu’s resolve but on whether other states in the Southeast and South-South are willing to join in a coordinated rail development plan before the window of opportunity closes.

As the tariff war between China and the United States intensifies, Beijing is making swift moves to recalibrate its global trade strategy, and Nigeria appears to be one of the key players in this realignment.

Speaking during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, described the latest U.S.-China tariff confrontation not simply as a setback, but as an opening to reinforce economic and trade ties with African nations, particularly Nigeria.

Yu, echoing Beijing’s broader diplomatic tone, described the tariffs as a “crisis with opportunities,” underscoring China’s intention to deepen cooperation with Nigeria in ways that could reshape the contours of its international trade alliances.

Yu’s remarks come as China officially responded to President Donald Trump’s sweeping 145% tariff hikes on Chinese goods by slapping its own countermeasures—raising tariffs on American imports from 84% to a staggering 125%, effective April 12, 2025. The move not only marks a significant escalation in the trade standoff but also signals Beijing’s growing urgency to look elsewhere for stable trade partners.

He pointed to China’s zero-tariff pledges for African least-developed countries as one of the concrete steps taken to back its rhetoric with action. These measures, announced during the most recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), are already opening doors for African exports and could serve as a critical economic boost for countries like Nigeria battling inflation, weakened currency, and an overburdened import bill.

“African nations are committed to development and revitalization, which requires a free, open multilateral trading system and a stable, predictable global environment,” Yu stated, directly linking Africa’s growth ambitions to China’s global outreach.

Beijing Shifts to Africa, Asia, and Beyond

But while China’s outreach to Nigeria may appear like a diplomatic gesture, it is in fact part of a broader and more calculated effort to rewire its global supply chains and reduce dependence on Western markets.

Beyond Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping has also embarked on a strategic diplomatic tour across Asia in recent weeks, meeting with leaders in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand to strengthen regional cooperation and trade ties. These visits are part of China’s accelerated push to secure new trade routes, negotiate alternative tariff arrangements, and advance its Belt and Road Initiative amid growing friction with Washington.

According to state media, Xi’s tour focused heavily on economic agreements covering agriculture, digital infrastructure, renewable energy, and transport—sectors China is also eyeing in Nigeria and other African nations.

Analysts believe these moves represent a calculated attempt by Beijing to diversify its trade portfolio and shore up economic resilience, especially as Chinese exports to the United States face tightening restrictions and higher costs.

For African countries, including Nigeria, this geopolitical tension is being framed by Beijing as a unique opportunity to plug into alternative supply chains and secure investment deals previously dominated by U.S. or European counterparts.

Yu said that China’s decades-long presence in Africa has earned it the trust of governments and people, noting that infrastructure projects, technical cooperation, and investment deals have continued even during global economic slowdowns.

In Nigeria, China has already funded and executed a number of high-profile infrastructure projects, including railways, airports, and power stations. However, critics say many of these deals have come with questionable terms, including opaque loan agreements and limited knowledge transfer.

Still, Yu insisted that China remains committed to transparency and mutual benefit, calling Nigeria “a natural partner in the journey toward shared prosperity.”

He added that trade relations could be expanded not only through zero-tariff arrangements but also via new investment flows into manufacturing, digital technology, and energy infrastructure.

At the heart of Yu’s message was a rebuke of growing protectionist tendencies, which he said pose a threat to countries that rely on international trade for development. While he did not mention the U.S. by name, his criticism was a clear reference to Trump’s hardline trade policies, which have drawn similar pushback from Europe and other parts of Asia.

“Together, we will uphold the multilateral trading system, resist protectionism, and foster an open, inclusive, and fair international environment,” he said, reaffirming China’s positioning as a defender of globalization in contrast to Washington’s more insular trade agenda.

Yu also used the moment to renew China’s support for creating a more balanced, multipolar world order—where all countries, regardless of size, have an equal say in global governance.

“Our shared goal is to advance an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, building a community with a shared future for humanity,” he concluded.

Nigeria’s Dilemma—and Opportunity

For Nigeria, the diplomatic overture from China offers both promise and caution. While Beijing’s support could bring needed capital and trade access at a time when Nigeria is struggling with low growth and weak exports, there is rising scrutiny over the terms of Chinese engagement. Nigerian lawmakers and civil society groups have increasingly raised concerns about the opacity of Chinese loans and the risk of mortgaging strategic assets.

However, in the absence of strong Western economic support, and amid declining capital inflows, China’s proposal to deepen ties may appear too timely to ignore.

As rising nationalism, trade protectionism, and shifting alliances reshape the global economy, Nigeria may be forced to make strategic choices about which global powers to align with.

Analysts have noted that the U.S.-China trade war, while disruptive, is also offering Abuja the rare chance to renegotiate its position in the global market if it can navigate the emerging power game with foresight and prudence.