TINUBU LAUNCES 2.4TN FREE TRADE ABUJA CITY WALK PROJECT, REASSURES NIGERIA’S OPEN FOR BUSINESS
By: Wisdom Acka
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday, July 16, 2026, officially launched the sales office and experience center for the landmark ₦2.4 trillion City Walk Abuja project, declaring that the ambitious mixed-use urban development is a tangible manifestation of his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda to radically transform Nigeria’s infrastructure.
The President, who was represented at the event by Vice President Kashim Shettima, stated that the Abuja City Walk is one of the most ambitious private sector investment projects in the nation’s history.
President Tinubu disclosed that the project has been granted Free Trade Zone status to eliminate trade friction, catalyze regional commerce, promote medical tourism, and attract high-end retail and hospitality.
He assured both domestic and international investors that Nigeria is open for business and that legal, physical, and financial frameworks are continuously being optimized to protect capital and guarantee returns.
Tinubu praised the development partners, MAG International Links, noting that the development is modeled after globally acclaimed concepts like the Dubai City Walk, customized to push the boundaries of architectural and engineering possibility in Africa.
Highlighting the project’s massive economic engine, the President emphasized its human impact, noting that it will generate tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs for the youth population, artisans, and engineers, while stimulating localized supply chains from cement manufacturing to digital technology services.
The President connected the project’s significance to Nigeria’s demographic power, noting that Nigeria is projected to become the third most populous nation on Earth by 2050 with 440 million people.
He stressed that the average age of the nation’s populace is currently 17.9 and emphasized that harnessing this vibrant, youthful demographic is critical to global and national growth.
President Tinubu commended the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike for his aggressive reforms in land administration and the eradication of bureaucratic inertia, declaring that the era of land speculation and abandoned major projects in the FCT is permanently over.
He urged MAG International Links to maintain the momentum and immediately translate the launch of the experience center into accelerated brick-and-mortar execution on site.
Speaking earlier the FCT Minister expressed gratitude to the President and detailed the rigorous efforts made by the FCT Administration to rescue the dormant site and eliminate bureaucratic delays.
Wike revealed that the 250-hectare site along the Airport Road, which was originally allocated to the Abuja Technology Village, had remained dormant for over 20 years. During which period he revealed that the land was seized by land grabbers who forged documents to claim ownership.
The Minister stated that he put his foot down to recover the government asset and drive development, revealing that the investment opportunity was facilitated by the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Emem Usoro.
Wike further averred that he personally chaired the overseeing committee that brought together critical heads of departments of development control, urban and regional planning, the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), and the land registry to grant building plan approvals within two days to ensure a seamless take-off of the project. He also disclosed that CGC construction company was brought in to construct access roads to the site rapidly.
Warning that the FCT Administration remains highly focused on results rather than theories, the Minister stressed that a strict Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with timelines is in place, however cautioning that the FCT will reclaim the land if the development partners do not meet their scheduled construction milestones.
