Abuja was named the capital city of Nigeria on December 12, 1991. Located in the central Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it replaced the most populous coastal city of Lagos in a process of structural reform aimed at national integration and more balanced regional development. Like other capital relocations, Nigeria’s capital was moved for strategic reasons to transform Abuja into the country’s new administrative center, often referred to as “the center of unity.” It was envisioned as a planned city based on a master plan developed by the United States-based consortium International Planning Associates (IPA). More than three decades later, a new master plan titled “City Walk” has been developed by MAG International Links Limited and designed by Benoy as a mixed-use district integrating hotels, offices, residential, retail, cultural, educational, and healthcare facilities, alongside a 450-meter tower and a 13,000-seat indoor arena across 250 hectares.
Abuja was envisioned as a modern, purpose-built capital capable of accommodating long-term population and administrative growth. The relocation from Lagos brought transformative changes, including an infrastructure boom. Originally a sparsely populated area home to nine recognized indigenous ethnic groups in the grass-covered Chukuku Hills, it was reshaped by the transfer of federal government institutions, which created immediate demand for supporting services. As in other relocation cases, rapid and unplanned growth challenged the phased master plan, leading to environmental pressures and informal urban settlements lacking cohesive development. Benoy’s City Walk master plan marks a new phase in this process, aiming to introduce new landmarks and infrastructure that support residents at different stages of life.
City Walk is a 250-hectare mixed-use development located along Airport Road in Abuja, within a Free Trade Zone, envisioned as a new gateway district that integrates trade, culture, and everyday urban life. Phase One, currently underway, is expected to deliver approximately 245,000 square meters of built space across nearly 185,000 square meters of land, comprising a diverse program that includes residential typologies, cultural venues, retail, offices, hospitality, education, and healthcare facilities. The scheme also features landmark components such as Africa’s tallest tower, rising to 450 meters, and Nigeria’s largest indoor arena with a capacity of 13,000 seats. Central to the proposal is a “Sponge District” approach, in which landscape infrastructure plays a key environmental role, using green corridors to manage stormwater, enhance biodiversity, and create accessible public spaces.
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The master plan is structured along a strong north-south axis that connects the active northern gateway, anchored by the tower, arena, and a hub for food, art, and nightlife, to quieter southern areas of residential compounds and landscaped gardens. The Ravine forms the project’s ecological spine, organizing both movement and open space, while a light mobility network of low-carbon shuttles, bicycles, and micromobility systems ensures connectivity across districts. At its core, an Art District concentrates 12,000 square meters of cultural space within a mixed-use environment, linked by a gateway boulevard to an event piazza, retail and leisure zones, and an office district arranged in a continuous loop. Additional elements include a 15,000-square-meter hotel, 30,000 square meters of office space, Fashion Avenue retail, and civic infrastructure such as a school, university campus, and hospital. Climate-responsive design strategies, including shading and natural ventilation, support year-round outdoor comfort, while a river park along the southern edge provides landscaped pedestrian routes integrated into the Ravine corridor.
Abuja is a city that was designed from the ground up with purpose. For its people, its climate, its culture. City Walk takes that founding ambition and carries it forward. The tower and the arena will draw the nation’s attention, but what matters most to us is the street between them: the shade, the Wadi, the square where people gather. That is where a city actually lives. ― Neil Serridge from Benoy
The full master plan is scheduled to be unveiled in May 2026 alongside the launch of the Experience Centre. In related developments, on January 2, 2026, a decree issued by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo transferred the capital of Equatorial Guinea from Malabo to Ciudad de la Paz. Elsewhere in Africa, Foster + Partners, in collaboration with Angola’s Ministry of Transport, recently unveiled the master plan for the Icolo e Bengo Aerotropolis, a large-scale project centered around the Dr. Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport. Other recent urban design news includes Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)’s new landmark project in the new city of Alatau, Kazakhstan, and the appointment of Studio Egret West to evolve the remaining 16 acres of the Battersea Power Station master plan in London.