Tinubu Launches Abuja City Walk Project
In a historic move signaling a bold era of infrastructure renewal and economic expansion, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially launched the ambitious Abuja City Walk Development project with the inauguration of its experience centre.
Speaking during the ceremony in Abuja on Thursday, July 16, 2026, President Tinubu described the the multi-billion-dollar project, located within the Abuja Technology Village (ATV) corridor along the strategic Airport Road, as one of the most ambitious private-sector collaborations in Nigeria’s history.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the event which was attended by high-profile government officials, foreign diplomats, and captains of industry, President Tinubu stated that the project is a tangible manifestation of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He emphasized that the ambitious Abuja City Walk project, modeled after the Dubai City Walk, was not merely an architectural marvel, but a gateway to a prosperous, modern future designed to reposition the Federal Capital Territory as a premier global hub for commerce, tourism, and luxury living.
“Today, we are not just opening a building; we are unveiling the window to a multi-billion-dollar future. On assumption of office, we promised Nigerians a radical economic transformation and infrastructure renewal. This Experience Centre stands as proof that our administration does not just make promises: we execute them with determination,” President Tinubu declared.
To maximize the economic potential of the development, the President announced that the corridor has been granted Free Trade Zone status, which will eliminate traditional trade friction and foster a fertile environment for regional commerce, medical tourism, premium retail, and high-end hospitality.
Beyond its physical grandeur, President Tinubu also explained that the Abuja City Walk is designed as a massive economic engine tailored for Nigeria’s unique demographic trajectory.
He said with the average age of the Nigerian population sitting at a youthful 17.9 years, and the nation projected to reach 440 million people by 2050, mega projects of such scale were vital to channelling youth energy productively.
President Tinubu added that the development is expected to generate tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs, stimulating localized supply chains from cement manufacturing to advanced digital tech services.
He commended the Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, for his dogged leadership and unwavering focus on execution, stressing that the Minister, through aggressive land administration reforms and the eradication of bureaucratic inertia, has transformed the Abuja Technology Village corridor which lay dormant for decades into a bustling construction hub.
Reassuring the global business community, President Tinubu said, “Let me use this medium to reassure both domestic and international investors — Nigeria is open for business, and your investments are safe.”
Speaking earlier at the ceremony, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, revealed that the ATV corridor had lain dormant for over three decades, during which parts of the land fell prey to speculators and land grabbers brandishing forged documents.
The Minister said under his leadership, the FCT Administration reclaimed the corridor, cleared bureaucratic hurdles, and established a fast-tracked development committee to oversee the execution of the project.
In an unprecedented administrative feat, the Minister disclosed that critical building approvals that usually take months were finalized in just forty-eight hours, while access roads were aggressively constructed by CGCNigeria Limited to prepare the site.
However, the FCT Minister issued a stern warning to the development partners, MAG International Links and Link Developments, reminding them that the land allocation is strictly tied to performance and that the FCT Administration will not tolerate delays.
“The only thing we can do, we will have a memorandum of understanding where we give timelines. From this period to this period, you have achieved this milestone… If that is not achieved, we will take back our land. Because I’m not interested in theory. I’m interested in keeping to our agreements,” the FCT Minister asserted.
Presenting a detailed overview of the project, the Executive Director of Detric Links Development, Dr. Kassim Gidado, described the launch as an opportunity to experience firsthand the future being built and the massive value about to be created. He said the official launch of the Project Master Plan is designed to guide the development in a structured, sustainable, and impactful manner.
In his words, “It reflects careful planning, thoughtful engagement, and an unwavering commitment to delivering lasting value for all stakeholders. Our aim is to create a city within a city that is inspired by the Dubai CityWalk but reimagined at a larger, more dynamic scale, and firmly rooted in the Abuja sociocultural and environmental context”.
He further described the master plan as a modern mixed-use district where culture, innovation, commerce, and daily life converge thereby celebrating Nigeria’s creativity and offering new models for workable climate-responsive urbanism. He graphically presented the proposed City Walk as “A place where global investment and creative enterprise meet in a free trade zone, anchored by vibrant community life, iconic public spaces and green corridors…a place that is safe and secured to walk, live, and play, in an open-air, walkable urban environment.
Mr Gidado said that the CityWalk Abuja is a living ravine on 250 hectares, and is expected to have a boulevard, a small technology village which he called the ‘Abuja Silicon Valley’ which is a knowledge park housing two universities, offices, cultural hub with museums, libraries and a multipurpose indoor arena with cinemas and gyms.
Apart from being developed as a high-end residential area, Dr Gidado disclosed that it is expected that an iconic 450-meter skyscraper, unlike any in Africa, will be built on its grounds. Other facilities are to include diagnostic centers, clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, medical research centers, fashion avenue, CityWalk malls, five-star hotels, utilities hub, police station, fire station, ambulance stations, mosques, and churches.
In his speech, he gave glowing tributes to the FCT Minister, Barr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, and to the Acting Executive Secretary, Engr Richard Yunana Dauda, appreciating them for their consistent drive and support.
Representative of the project development partner and CEO Broadgate Development Group, Peter Young, who also spoke at the event expressed confidence that the Abuja City Walk will set a new African benchmark for integrated master planning, sustainability, and structural design, ultimately establishing Abuja as an irresistible destination for multinational corporations and global institutional investors.
