The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and Oando Clean Energy Limited, a division of Oando, have partnered to formally introduce Oando’s electric mass transit buses at the Lagos Bus Services Limited Head Office in Ilupeju, Lagos.
Oando has announced its new initiative aimed at transitioning the public transport system in Lagos State to a carbon-free mobility ecosystem.
Abinbola Akinajo, the Managing Director of LAMATA, stressed the importance of public-private partnerships, stating that this initiative is a crucial part of their vision for transportation in Lagos State. The goal is to establish a clean and efficient transportation system.
Akinajo expressed the desire to involve the private sector in meeting the mobility needs of the average Lagosian. LAMATA, as the regulatory agency for transport in Lagos, has partnered with Oando Clean Energy to integrate electric buses into passenger operations.
He emphasized LAMATA’s openness to engaging with the private sector while ensuring alignment with Lagos state’s vision.
Akinajo expressed satisfaction that Oando Clean Energy approached them just over a year ago to discuss deploying electric buses, and they have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the primary objective of implementing a Proof of Concept (PoC) to incorporate electric buses into their ecosystem.
Recognizing the urgent need to address transportation’s significant contribution to Nigeria’s greenhouse gas emissions (62%), Dr. Ainojie Irune, President of OCEL, stated that this presents an opportunity to revolutionize mobility in the country and develop local capacity in the renewable and clean energy sector.
Irune envisions a future where these buses are manufactured in Nigeria and a large number of locally trained engineers operate, maintain, and service these buses and other renewable energy assets. He sees the introduction of these buses as the first step towards achieving this goal.
He emphasized that the PoC will enable the collection of initial data points crucial for the development and deployment of electric vehicles for municipal and public transport across the continent.
Irune expressed confidence in the progress made and acknowledged the invaluable support of Lagos state and LAMATA in making this endeavor possible.
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