The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) has approved a grant of US $950,000 to help Nigeria prepare for a proposed project to revamp Abuja's mass transit system. The request for the project preparation money was submitted to the CIF by the Government of Nigeria and the African Development Bank (AfDB). This is the first time the CIF has approved a sustainable transport project preparation grant within Africa, and marks the way forward for the transport sector as part of the AfDB and CIF work to help Africa move toward low-carbon and climate-resilient development.

When project preparation is complete, the proposed project is slated to create a multi-modal integrated transport system, including acquiring and operating high-capacity articulated low-carbon emission buses throughout Abuja. The revamping of the city's transit system will raise the level of transit service quality, accessibility and affordability for Abuja residents, and help reduce GHG emissions in the city and its environs. The approved US $950,000 project preparation grant will allow Nigeria, with AfDB support, to conduct necessary background analyses to fully prepare the project for submission, approval and ultimate implementation.

The analyses will bolster the project by providing engineering design including assessment of conditions along the corridor for busways, stations and terminals, defining bus rapid transit (BRT) requirements, and examining the required ancillary facilities including consideration for pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, the studies will look at institutional and regulatory development, environmental and social impact, and financial and socio-economic analysis.

The project will be carried out by AfDB with the support from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), one of the CIF's major programs. To qualify for CTF funding, the project must demonstrate that it will have a transformational impact and will have the capacity for scaling up.

This project preparation grant brings to 10 the number of grants the AfDB has obtained from for African countries, for a total of US $10 million. The other grants are for wind and concentrated solar power in Egypt, wind in Ethiopia, solar photovoltaic and mini-hydro in Mali, forests in Burkina Faso and Democratic Republic of Congo, and climate resilience in Zambia.