Delta State has undergone significant urban renewal and infrastructure development in recent years. This has manifested in the construction of roads and bridges, linking rural areas and riverside communities with urban centres, and thus stimulating intra- and inter-state trade. Ensuring metropolitan areas are designed to accommodate growth is another priority. Improvements have been made to urban centres, including the construction of the Asaba Leisure Park and Film Village, the Stephen Keshi Stadium, the Chike Edozien Central Secretariat and the Koka Flyover. The budget for an international conference centre in Asaba was approved in May 2022. In 2020 the state supported the construction of the Asaba storm water drainage project aimed at preventing flooding, with a similar initiative being undertaken in Warri by the Warri Uvwie and Environs Special Area Development Agency.
Transport Linkages
The state government approved 883 road projects between 2015 and 2022, overseeing the construction of more than 1900 km of roads and 1000 km of drainage channels. Improved road networks are expected to enhance connectivity between urban and rural areas; increase access to education, health care and work for rural populations; add value to the agriculture sector by linking farmers to markets; and support the growth of agro-industry.
Given the state’s many waterways, bridges are vital transport links for its many residents living in communities surrounded by streams and rivers. Between 2015 and 2022 Delta State’s Ministry of Works (MoW) built six bridges as part of the road network strategy, with 16 more at various stages of completion as of early 2023.
The communities along the Niger Delta river basin have benefitted from the construction of 300 km of roads and 150 km of drains. These include the Burutu, Okerenkoko and Benekrukru roads, as well as the Obotobo 1-Obotobo 11-Sokebolou-Yokri road in Burutu.
In partnership with the state’s Ministry of Housing and Ministry of Trade, in 2022 the MoW completed the Ogheye floating market in Warri North at a cost of N4.2bn ($10m). The market is expected to boost local commerce and tourism. Asaba International Airport, for which a private sector consortium received the concession, has boosted travel to and from the state.
Public-Private Collaboration
Between 2015 and 2022 public-private partnerships (PPPs) supported the development of several infrastructure projects across Delta State. For instance, the concession of Asaba International Airport in 2021 transformed the facility into the country’s sixth-largest in terms of passenger traffic. Moreover, in 2022 it was named the Best Regional Airport in Africa at the Aviators Africa Conference and Tower Awards in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Similarly, a PPP between local agriculture company Norsworthy Farms and Agro Allied Industries, and the state government oversaw the development of a 3136-ha farm in and around Akwukwu-Igbo that is expected to become a leading centre of palm oil production in Nigeria. Additionally, a multiproduct agro-industrial park in Aboh Ogwashi-Uku that was under construction as of early 2023 is set to support the state’s agro-industry, helping add value to the agriculture sector, and create direct and indirect jobs. There are also plans to establish a free trade zone comprising the Koko Port zone, Kwale Industrial Park and a special agriculture processing zone. Once operational, this free trade zone is expected to boost the state’s economic development.
Development Finance
Several state government reforms have helped foster PPPs and generate funding for urban renewal. These include the Delta State Investment Development Agency Law to attract and foster PPP investment and the Delta State House of Assembly Fund Management Law enacted in 2019. In the 2023 state budget of N561.8bn ($1.3bn), the state government allocated N111.4bn ($265.4m) to infrastructure to be overseen by the MoW to aid in the completion of important road and bridge projects across the state, as well as improve intra- and inter-state connectivity.
Read More from OBG
