Kaduna, Lagos, others to kickstart Nigeria’s smart transport project
The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), has announced that Kaduna, Borno Lagos and few other states will form the pilot states to kickstart the National Transport Data Bank Project (NTDB). The Director-General of (NIIT), Dr. Bayero Salih Farah stated this in Abuja on Monday during the signing ceremony for the formal concession agreement for […]
The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), has announced that Kaduna, Borno Lagos and few other states will form the pilot states to kickstart the National Transport Data Bank Project (NTDB).
The Director-General of (NIIT), Dr. Bayero Salih Farah stated this in Abuja on Monday during the signing ceremony for the formal concession agreement for the Smart National Transportation Data Fund Project with Asia Arab Investment (AAI).
He noted that the National Transportation Data Fund Project is not merely an ICT project, but a national transport intelligent infrastructure designed to provide Nigeria with a single integrated real-time source of transport and mobility data across the country.
“Through the deployment of the intelligent transport technologies, smart e-tags, automated vehicle identification systems, intelligent roadside infrastructure, the traffic management centers across the 36 states and the FCT, and the Centralized National Transport Data Center, the project will transform the way transport information is collected, analyzed, shared, and utilized for national development.
“The Smart National Transport Data Bank is designed to address this challenge and establish a unified national transport intelligent framework. However, this is the first phase of the project and subsequent phases will involve the integration of other modes of transportation, such as maritime, air, rail, pipeline, and no motorized transport to enable better coordination and decision making for an integrated and multimodal transport system to be realized. Distinguished guests, the journey to this point has been difficult, rigorous, but guided by national transport policy directives.
“Importantly, the project will center collaboration among federal and state governments, transport agencies, security institutions, regulators, and private sector stakeholders while providing decision makers with reliable data required to make informed investments and policy decisions. At the beginning of this project, Kaduna State, Lagos State, Nasarawa State, Borno State, Enugu State, Edo State, and the Federal Capital Territory will form the pilot phase of this project,” he said.
Also speaking, permanent secretary in the ministry of transport who was represented by the Director, legal at the ministry, Olusegun Omotola said with the signing of the concessional agreement, the project now transitions from transaction first to implementation first, noting that the immediate next steps will include the activation of the project governance structure, improvement of concessional conditions precedent, pilot deployment, and ultimately nationwide rollout.
He said the project will establish intelligent transport infrastructure nationwide, deploy traffic management centers across the Federation, strengthen transport sector digitalization, support real-time traffic management and road safety operations, enhance national security capabilities, facilitate multimodal integration and create sustainable revenue streams for the government.
Chairman of the occasion and chairman of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Nigeria, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi said the project is a landmark initiative aimed at transforming the landscape of Nigeria’s transport sector by establishing a comprehensive, intelligent, and integrated transport data system.
This project is a testament to the commitment of the current administration towards leveraging technology and data to drive efficiency, safety, and sustainability in our transport sector.
Speaking on the relevance of the signing agreement, the Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulator, Dr Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh charged all stakeholders in the project to ensure that the project is upheld as Nigeria is now seen world over as a key investment destination.