LAMATA urges Swedish bus manufacturer, Scania, to establish manufacturing plant in Lagos 

LAMATA’s Managing Director, Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, made the request during a meeting with a delegation from the Swedish Honorary Consulate, led by Antonia Adenaya, Regional Director for North and West Africa, to discuss sustainable transportation initiatives.

The delegation included representatives from Scania, the International Council for Swedish Industries, and Business Sweden.

In a statement shared on LAMATA’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, Akinajo urged Scania to expand its partnership with Lagos, focusing on capacity building and knowledge transfer. She noted that setting up a local manufacturing plant would help reduce procurement costs and improve operational efficiency in the city’s transport sector.

“Following the huge cost of procuring high-capacity buses for passenger operations, Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo admonished Scania, a Swedish bus manufacturer, to set up manufacturing outlet in the city. 

“According to Akinajo, Scania needed to expand its partnership with Lagos beyond bus sales and explore capacity building and knowledge transfer,” the statement read in part.

The statement noted that the meeting focused on the next steps after completing alternative fuel studies in Lagos and explored how the Swedish community could contribute to the city’s development.

LAMATA’s Managing Director welcomed the Swedish delegation and expressed gratitude for their continued support, recalling a study tour to Sweden to learn about the biofuel sector.

Antonia Adenaya commended the formation of a steering committee for the biogas initiative and stressed the need for concrete action, noting potential collaborations with Swedish firms.

In December 2023, the Lagos State Government announced plans to explore the use of biofuel in public transportation to reduce carbon emissions.

This initiative is part of a partnership between the state government and Swedfund, a Swedish development finance institution, which will provide support for the project.

LAMATA disclosed that Swedfund is working with CPCS Transcom Limited and Nexant Consulting Limited to conduct feasibility studies to evaluate the impact of alternate fuels on Lagos’ public transport system.

The exploration of biofuel in the Lagos public transport system aligns with Lagos State Government’s target to significantly reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability in public transportation by aiming for 52% of the buses in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to be fuelled by clean energy by 2050.

This initiative is part of the Lagos State Transport Policy, which aims to ensure that the city’s transport system minimizes environmental impact.