The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has initiated Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) scheme, so as to encourage private sector participation in road development.
Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made this known in Lagos Thursday, at a press conference, to showcase the achievements of the Buhari’s administration in the outgoing year.
HDMI Alhaji Mohammed explained, was created by the Ministry to manage and develop the Federal Road network, with the aim of “attracting sustainable investment and funding in the development of road infrastructure and maximizing the use of assets along the right of way”.
He pointed out that the rationale behind the private sector engagement under the HDMI was to provide an alternative avenue of financing road construction, management and maintenance.
Mohammed, who confirmed that the third River Niger Bridge has reached 78 per cent completion and due for commission next year, explained that out of the total length of the Federal road network of about 35,000km, the first phase of the proposed project would cover a total length of about 1,963.24km.
He confirmed that most of the ongoing projects of the Ministry, especially under the Highways Development and Management Initiative (HDMI), are already attracting massive infrastructural investment, adding that it was envisaged that over a trillion-naira direct investment will be mobilized in the first phase of the HDMI.
According to him, various highway and bridge projects at various stages of completion are ongoing across the six-geopolitical zones of the country. Some of them he mentioned included: the construction of two secondary bridges at Oko Amakun (21.70m) and Atani Road (21.70m).
Also to be constructed he stated is a new cloverleaf interchange at Onitsha-Owerri Road. Several culverts and drainage structures will also be constructed among others.
“It is imperative to state that the policies, programmes and projects of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing have contributed to stabilizing the macro-economic situation of the country, particularly in job creation.
“The activities of the Ministry have further contributed to the growth of other sectors of the economy such as the Mining sector through the supply of aggregates, laterite, limestone and other building materials; Cement manufacturing, Bitumen (Importation) and steel production to support construction needs; the fact that property values are reportedly appreciating by 30%-40% as a result of road transport infrastructure and the growing demand for petroleum products like diesel, petrol, lubricants and tyres as a result of construction activities and the need to operate machines” the Minister disclosed.
Alhaji Mohammed affirmed that the digital economy sector was highly instrumental in lifting the Nigerian economy out of recession, stating that the Q4 2020 Report on Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector recorded the highest growth rate of all the sectors of the Nigerian economy.
“The breakdown of the different sectors shows that the 14.7% growth rate of the ICT sector was greater than the combined 14.21% growth of the 2nd to 7th fastest growing sectors in 2020. The telecommunications sector alone recorded a growth rate of 15.90%, representing its highest growth rate in the last 10 years. In the NBS report for the Q1 2021, the ICT sector maintained its position as the fastest growing sector of the economy. This therefore indicates that the Digital Economy sector has proven to be vital for the diversification of the Nigerian economy” the FG Spokesperson restated.
He added that the National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria reflects the focus of the Federal Government with respect to Nigeria’s Digital Economy, which was hinged on 8 strategic pillars.
Some of the projects implemented nationwide include according to Mohammed included: ICT Innovation Hubs; Digital Skills for Entrepreneurs and Innovators; Community IT Training Centers; Tertiary Institution Knowledge Centers (TIKC); School Knowledge Centers (SKC); Digital Economy Centers and Emergency Communication Centers (ECC), among others.
He added that Over 300 ECC have been established across the country.