The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) approved a USD 100 million facility on 28 September 2026 to fund rolling stock and operational equipment for Phase II of the 393 km Kano–Maradi standard-gauge railway linking northern Nigeria with Niger. Directors took the decision at the bank's 101st Ordinary Meeting in Lomé, Togo.

EBID's statement does not name the borrower for the new facility, nor does it set a signing date, equipment list or supplier-selection timetable.

What does the USD 100 million cover?

The bank earmarks the money for rolling stock and operational equipment on Phase II of the cross-border line. EBID previously approved a USD 180 million line of credit to Mota-Engil Nigeria in April 2025 to co-finance the project.

The 393 km standard-gauge route is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, according to a separate EBID announcement dated 10 September. Forecast traffic once operational stands at 9,300 passengers per day and 3,000 tonnes of freight. EBID frames both figures as projections, not measured results.

What else did EBID's board approve?

Four operations totalling USD 390 million cleared the 28 September meeting:

• USD 100 million for Kano–Maradi Phase II rolling stock and equipment
• USD 50 million for MOSL Limited in Ghana (petroleum-product supply)
• USD 230 million for Azumah Resources Ghana Limited (Black Volta Gold Project)
• USD 10 million for the West Africa Initiative for Climate-Smart Agriculture (WAICSA) pilot in Ghana, Senegal and Togo

Dr George Agyekum Donkor, EBID's President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: "the investments reflected the bank's focus on projects with tangible economic and developmental impact." He added: "the operations would support productive activity, regional value chains, trade, private-sector participation and employment."

What signal does this send to suppliers?

For rolling-stock manufacturers and equipment suppliers, the Phase II notice is the first concrete equipment-funding signal from EBID since the April 2025 Mota-Engil credit. No tender notice, locomotive or coach type, or procurement lot has yet been published.

The bank's 10 September briefing cited improved passenger and freight movement, lower transport costs and stronger regional trade among the expected benefits, but did not disclose independent cost-benefit figures. Operators, financiers and prospective bidders will look to the borrower identification and a supply timetable as the next decision points.

Why did Kano–Maradi win a sustainability award?

EBID's involvement in the railway received the Outstanding Sustainable Project Financing award at the Sustainable Finance Awards 2026 in Karlsruhe, Germany, on 27–28 August. Arshad Rab, Chairman of the International Council of Sustainability Standards for Value-Driven Financial Institutions, said: "EBID's support illustrated the role regional development finance institutions can play in economic transformation and connectivity."

The approvals fall under EBID's Growth, Resilience and Optimisation Strategy 2026–2030. With the board having signalled equipment funding and the line targeted for end-2026 completion, attention now turns to whether the borrower is named and tenders published in time for Phase II fleet deliveries to meet that deadline.