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City Walk Masterplan in Abuja, Nigeria

16 March 2026

Location: Abuja, Nigeria, western Africa

Design: Benoy

Benoy reveals City Walk masterplan: Abuja set to become home to Africa’s tallest tower

images courtesy of architects practice

City Walk Masterplan, Nigeria

A continental landmark and a national first will define Abuja’s new gateway district. City Walk, Benoy’s 250-hectare mixed-use masterplan on Airport Road, will be home to Africa’s tallest tower at 450 metres and Nigeria’s largest indoor arena with a 13,000-seat capacity. Positioned within a Free Trade Zone, where the capital first presents itself to international visitors, investors and businesses, City Walk integrates trade and civic life. Phase One is currently underway.

The masterplan is organised around a strong north–south connector running from the active northern gateway on Airport Road, home to the arena and tower, as well as a hub for food, art and nightlife, to the quieter southern side, where the city fades gradually into intimate residential compounds and landscaped gardens. Subtle, layered security and the absence of defensive barriers will encourage inclusive public life throughout. The Ravine forms the green spine of the masterplan, structuring the landscape and supporting ecology, stormwater management and wellbeing. The Sponge City approach uses these corridors as ecological and recreational assets, managing water and supporting biodiversity. A light mobility network of low-carbon shuttles, bikes and micromobility systems connects the residential, cultural and commercial districts and reduces reliance on cars.

Neil Serridge, Design Director, Benoy, said: “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.”

At the heart of masterplan is the Art District, bringing together 12,000 m² of cultural space within a mixed-use block of residences, retail and public realm. A gateway boulevard leads to an event piazza and the Art District’s outdoor spaces, extending into a retail and leisure plaza and office district, connected in a navigable loop. Phase One delivers approximately 245,000 m² of built space across nearly 185,000 m² of land in total, encompassing Art District blocks, urban apartments, townhouses and garden apartments alongside the arena, a 15,000 m² hotel, 30,000 m² of offices, Fashion Avenue retail, a school, university campus, hospital. Climate-responsive shading and ventilation create comfortable outdoor environments throughout the year, and a river park along the southern edge offers landscaped paths and pedestrian routes along the Ravine ecological corridor. The school, university campus and hospital together mean that City Walk is built to serve its residents across every stage of life.

Mahmood Ahmadu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of MAG International Links Limited, said: “City Walk is being built to welcome the world — a destination where global visitors, investors, and professionals experience Africa’s dynamism, creativity, and technological ambition.”

About MAG International Links
MAG International Links Limited, the master developer of City Walk, is a diversified conglomerate operating across multiple sectors, including real estate, technology, and aviation. Over the past two decades, MAG International Links Limited and its affiliated entities have been actively involved in the development and modernization of critical infrastructure across several African countries.

About Benoy
Benoy – https://www.benoy.com/ is a leading international design studio creating impactful spaces through strategy-led design, creativity and global expertise. Established in 1947 in Newark, Nottinghamshire, Benoy has design hubs in London and Shanghai, and teams operating across Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore and Hong Kong. Benoy’s expertise spans Commercial Strategy and Advisory, Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape, Interiors and Wayfinding, with a portfolio of landmark projects experienced by millions of people across the world.

About City Walk
City Walk, Abuja is a 250-hectare mixed-use masterplan on Airport Road, Abuja, Nigeria. Phase One is currently underway. City Walk is Benoy’s first project in Nigeria.

About Dubai City Walk Dubai City Walk is Benoy’s award-winning mixed-use urban destination in the heart of Dubai, delivered for Meraas Development. The development integrates retail, hospitality, residential and cultural uses across an open-air streetscape and has become one of the city’s most frequented destinations since opening.

Benoy

City Walk Masterplan, Abuja, Nigeria images / information received 160326

Location: Lagos, Nigeria, north west Africa.