ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria on Thursday said it has secured a $900 million loan from China to boost infrastructure in Africa's most populous country.
Minister of Finance Olusegun Aganga told press Thursday that the Nigerian government had signed a $900 million loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China for the construction of a $500-million railway linking the capital to the northern city of Kaduna and a $400-million public security communications project.
While Nigerian commercial banks avoid risk, China has become a major financier of projects across the continent.
A Chinese report released Thursday said that China's direct investment in Africa had reached $9.33 billion in 2009, a jump from $490 million in 2003.
