Blue Economy
Lagos Sets 2050 Transport Vision, Puts Ferry Network at Heart of Multimodal Overhaul
Lagos Sets 2050 Transport Vision, Puts Ferry Network at Heart of Multimodal Overhaul
LAMATA workshop, backed by French development funding, signals shift away from road-first planning as state targets integrated rail, BRT, and structured waterway services for 45-million-strong city
By Raymond Gold| Waterways News | Lagos
The Lagos State Government has announced a decisive shift in its approach to urban mobility, placing integrated mass transit — including the formal development of structured ferry services — at the core of a sweeping update to the state’s long-term transport blueprint, the Strategic Transport and Mobility Master Plan (STMMP), now projected to guide transportation development through 2050.
The disclosure came during a high-level stakeholders’ workshop convened by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to review and update the master plan. The session, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), brought together senior government officials, transport planners, and representatives from key ministries and agencies across Lagos and neighbouring Ogun State.
Road Expansion Alone No Longer Sufficient
Addressing participants, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation Oluwaseun Osiyemi said the state was moving beyond its historical dependence on road infrastructure to tackle worsening congestion. The updated strategy, he noted, would prioritise mass transit at scale — encompassing rail network expansion, a strengthened Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and the deliberate integration of ferry services into a unified, multimodal transport framework.
Osiyemi also flagged plans to introduce cleaner energy buses into the public fleet and to enhance last-mile connectivity across the city, with improved pedestrian infrastructure forming part of the broader vision.
45 Million Residents by 2050 — and Counting
LAMATA Managing Director Abimbola Akinajo provided stark context for the urgency of the planning exercise. Lagos already records over 20 million daily trips, she said, and the state’s population is on course to reach 45 million by 2050 — a trajectory that makes the current transport infrastructure untenable without transformative intervention.
Akinajo confirmed that planning is at an advanced stage: comprehensive multimodal surveys have been completed and a new travel demand model has been developed. She stressed that robust stakeholder engagement remained essential to ensuring the final plan reflects the city’s long-term growth realities.
Waterways Dimension
Notably for the maritime and inland waterways sector, the workshop included the Special Adviser on Blue Economy, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, alongside representatives of agencies responsible for waterways management — a signal that Lagos’ extensive aquatic geography is being factored into the overarching transport vision rather than treated as a peripheral concern.
Structured ferry development has historically lagged behind road and rail investment in Lagos’ transport planning despite the state’s coastline and lagoon network. Its explicit inclusion in the STMMP framework represents a potentially significant policy shift for the inland waterways sector.
Other participants included the General Manager of the Lagos State Parking Authority, Adebisi Adelabu, as well as representatives from the Nigerian Railway Corporation, the Ogun State Ministry of Transportation, and several Lagos State ministries. Technical presentations were delivered by the ROM/AEC consortium.
Nigeria Watch
For Nigerian maritime and inland waterways operators, the Lagos STMMP update carries implications beyond city planning. If Lagos follows through on integrating structured ferry services into a multimodal network, it would represent the most substantial policy commitment to commercial waterway transport in the state since the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) was established.
The involvement of AFD funding is also significant. French development finance has backed major transport infrastructure across West Africa, and its presence in this planning process suggests that structured ferry and waterway components — not just rail — could attract multilateral capital.
For the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and LASWA, the master plan process offers an opportunity to align their operational frameworks with Lagos State’s emerging multimodal ambitions. Whether that alignment materialises in regulatory coordination, infrastructure investment, or concession arrangements will be worth watching as the STMMP moves toward finalisation.