Umahi commends indigenous contractors, inspects Ndibe bridge linking Ebonyi and Cross River

Nigeria's federal government is fundamentally reshaping its approach to infrastructure development by increasingly channeling major highway projects through indigenous contracting firms. During a recent inspection of the Ndibe bridge project—a critical transport link connecting Ebonyi and Cross River states along the Calabar corridor—Works Minister David Umahi publicly endorsed the performance of local contractors, signaling a strategic shift that carries significant implications for foreign investors operating across West Africa's largest economy. The Calabar corridor represents one of Nigeria's most economically important transport arteries, connecting the oil-rich Niger Delta region to southeastern production zones and facilitating trade flows into the Cross River port complex. The Ndibe bridge project exemplifies the Nigerian government's determination to modernize this crucial infrastructure backbone, which has long suffered from poor maintenance and capacity constraints that undermine regional competitiveness. Umahi's commendation of indigenous contractors reflects a broader policy narrative gaining traction within Nigeria's economic establishment: the belief that local engineering firms now possess sufficient technical capability and project management expertise to deliver complex infrastructure without heavy reliance on foreign contractors. This positioning serves multiple policy objectives simultaneously—reducing foreign exchange outflows, creating domestic employment, and nurturing local industrial capacity that aligns with Nigeria's diversification agenda beyond petroleum sectors. For