Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway

The Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway is a federal transport project intended to connect communities and economic centres along Nigeria’s Atlantic coast. It is being delivered in sections under the Federal Ministry of Works, with construction progressing alongside the opening of completed stretches.

What the project involves

The scheme adds a coastal route to the national road network. Its public purpose is to improve connections between settlements, commercial centres and existing transport infrastructure, while creating a route that can serve longer-distance movement along the coast. Those aims depend on the delivery of connecting sections, access arrangements and the supporting works that make a road useful to surrounding communities.

The project therefore needs to be understood as a corridor being built over time. A completed stretch can provide a local transport benefit before the entire route is available, but it cannot by itself establish an uninterrupted road connection between Lagos and Calabar.

A commissioned phase and continuing construction

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commissioned the first phase in Lagos on 31 May 2025. The ceremony also covered other completed roads and the commencement of further road projects across the country. At the event, the President directed ministers responsible for public works to prioritise Nigerian participation, training and technology transfer in project delivery.

The Federal Ministry of Works continued to report construction activity on additional coastal-highway sections in June 2026, including an inspection in Epe, Lagos State. The administration’s May 2026 anniversary account also placed the coastal highway within its ongoing national construction and rehabilitation programme.

These are different milestones: a phase has been commissioned, while work on the wider corridor continues. The delivery label on this page applies to the overall highway, which remains under construction.

Why the corridor matters

For communities along a new road, the practical questions concern connections to markets and services, safe access, drainage, maintenance and the movement of people and goods. For businesses, a connected corridor can support logistics and access to commercial locations. These are the intended public benefits of the investment; precise travel-time savings or employment totals should be assessed against a dated measurement for the relevant section.

Delivery responsibilities

The Federal Ministry of Works oversees implementation. Construction, land requirements, compensation arrangements and environmental obligations form part of the delivery process. The official updates linked through Learn more provide the basis for following individual sections as work progresses.