Nigeria's federal government has signed a $575 million deal with the World Bank and the French Development Agency to finance rural roads in 13 of the country's 36 states. The plan envisages the construction of more than 53,700 kilometers of new roads by 2026. Currently, the country has about 195,000 kilometers of roads, of which about 60,000 kilometers are paved.

Aminu Muhammed, the program's national coordinator, said 12 of the states had already received their share of funding, and he encouraged them to set up funds and agencies to oversee their share of work.

These roads will bring prosperity to farmers, with young people and women being the main beneficiaries. Eventually a farmers club will emerge and a group of successful market men and women will take over the business world. Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news

The International Labour Organization has expressed its willingness to provide financial and technical assistance for rural road projects with the support of the World Bank.Editor/XingWentao