Nigeria selects GE Consortium as preferred bidder for rail concession

GE Consortium has received a letter of award from the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which confirms its selection as the preferred bidder for the Concession of the Western and Eastern Lines of the Nigerian Railway, including associated operational infrastructure and spur lines.

The consortium is led by General Electric (GE) and also includes SinoHydro and Transnet as partners.

It originally placed the bid in response to a request for proposals by the Federal Ministry of Transport on behalf of the government. 

The consortium was chosen as the preferred bidder for the concession for the rehabilitation, financing and operation of the 3,505km narrow-gauge railway system.

The system includes the Lagos-Kano-Nguru (Western) and the Port Harcourt-Kaduna Junction (Eastern), with the main spur line from Kafanchan to Maiduguri and associated spur lines in the network.

GE Nigeria president and CEO Lazarus Angbazo said: “The Government’s selection of the GE Consortium as preferred bidder is a testament to the excellent collaborative efforts of world-class enterprises leveraging each other’s strengths to produce a solutions-focused proposal.”

Transnet representative Sifiso Nzimande said: “We are pleased to be a partner in this ground-breaking concession bid and look forward to the successful conclusion of the negotiations with the government and the opportunity to add value.”

The next phase of the process is known as the concession negotiation and is set to be initiated in the near future.

It will see the various aspects of the consortium’s proposal assessed in detail, including the bid value, terms, conditions, scope, assumptions and timelines.

A full concession award will be awarded to the consortium following the assessment, subject to agreement between both parties.