Tinubu Approves Key Road Projects to Boost Cross-Border Connectivity in Lake Chad Region
By Njadvara Musa, Damaturu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the construction of two major federal roads in Nigeria’s Lake Chad region, a strategic move aimed at enhancing regional security, economic cooperation, and cross-border integration among Lake Chad Basin countries.
The approved roads, the 114-kilometre Dikwa–Ngala–Gambouru and Bama–Banki highways, are both located in Borno State and will be constructed under the Dangote Tax Credit Scheme (DTCS), a public-private partnership initiative designed to fast-track infrastructure delivery across the country.
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, who is also the Chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum, made the announcement yesterday while declaring open the inaugural joint meeting of the Forum and the Lake Chad Basin Commission in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad.
“Today’s inaugural engagement between the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum and the Lake Chad Basin Commission is particularly significant to me, being the first since I assumed the chairmanship of the Forum,” Buni said. “It places a greater responsibility on me to reinforce our collective resolve for peace, stability, and a prosperous region encompassing Chad, Niger, Cameroon, and Nigeria.”
Buni noted that the foundation for this new phase of collaboration was laid during the Forum’s fifth meeting held in Maiduguri, Borno State, where stakeholders agreed on five core pillars: security, regional cooperation, humanitarian response, sustainable development, and climate resilience.
He emphasised that the newly approved road projects are a practical step toward implementing those resolutions, especially the pillar on infrastructure and regional development. According to him, the roads will not only open up economic corridors and improve trade routes across borders but also strengthen the operational reach of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in curbing insurgency and cross-border criminality.
Buni further called for the mobilisation of resources through mechanisms such as the Special Multi-Partner Delivery Fund and the Nexus Funding Facility to support community-based reintegration and reconciliation, especially in areas previously affected by violent extremism.
In addressing long-term regional threats, the governor also urged member states to commit to countering youth radicalisation, illegal arms proliferation, and environmental degradation, particularly the alarming shrinkage of Lake Chad, which has lost 90% of its size since 1963.
He advocated for the reinstatement of donor support to stabilisation programs, especially in the Republic of Niger, and proposed the expansion of reintegration initiatives to accommodate more returnees and ex-combatants across the region.
“These are not merely national concerns but regional imperatives that threaten the shared stability of border communities, especially in Borno and Yobe states,” he said.
Governor Buni concluded by calling on the Lake Chad Basin Commission to play a central coordinating role in harmonising investment and ensuring transparent monitoring and accountability across all intervention efforts.
The Governor of N’Djamena, Amina Kodjiana, and the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Ambassador Nuhu Mamman, lauded Buni’s leadership and pledged their support for his tenure as Forum Chairman. Both reiterated their commitment to advancing regional peace, security, and development.
The joint meeting marks a renewed chapter in efforts to restore vitality to the Lake Chad Basin, a region long beset by insurgency, displacement, and ecological crises.
