China Railway unit China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation signed the contract with the Nigerian government on Monday, according to a filing to the Hong Kong bourse on Tuesday evening.
Under the contract, the state-backed Chinese company will build a railway with a single track length of 1,385 kilometres (860 miles) and a speed of 120 kilometres per hour. The filing gave no details about where the line would be built.
The announcement came as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, during a visit to Ethiopia, unveiled extra aid for Africa totalling at least US$12 billion and offered to share advance technology with the continent to help with development of high-speed rail, state media reported.