• Lagos launches OMI-EKO project to boost water transport
• Funded by AFD, EU, EIB; 75 electric ferries planned
• Aims to ease congestion, cut delays in 20M+ city
  

The Lagos State government launched, on Oct. 17, the OMI-EKO project, an initiative to develop the state’s waterways for urban transport and encourage cleaner mobility.  The plan aims to shift passenger traffic away from the city’s crowded road network and onto river routes.

Funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union (EU), and the European Investment Bank (EIB), the project will be carried out in two phases.  The first phase includes building inland waterway infrastructure: 15 priority ferry routes, dredging and marking 140 km of channels, and developing 25 terminals and jetties equipped with electric charging stations. The second phase will include acquiring and operating 75 electric ferries, introducing smart transport systems for ticketing and passenger information, and launching staff training programs.

Authorities expect the investment to ease traffic congestion in the city of more than 20 million people, Africa’s second most populous after Cairo. According to a study by the Danne Institute for Research and Financial Derivatives Company, public transport users in Lagos lose an average of 79,000 naira ($53.8) a year due to delays, while motorists lose about 133,979 naira. The study estimated that road congestion costs commuters an average of 2.21 hours per day.

The new water transport system will complement broader diversification efforts, particularly the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) network, which already includes two operational lines, the Blue and Red, with daily capacities of 250,000 and 500,000 passengers respectively.

Despite policies to strengthen public transport, meeting Lagos’s mobility needs still depends largely on private operators. Local media say the private transport sector often draws complaints over safety issues, including frequent accidents, kidnappings, and poor comfort.

Henoc Dossa