NIGERIA: Private Sector Participation in an Integrated Transport System in Lagos

The Lagos State Government (LASG) has developed an ambitious Lagos State Master Transport Plan (2014-2023) to modernize transport services in the Lagos Metropolitan Area (LMA). The plan identified three urban transport sector initiatives with potential for private sector participation (PSP) as part of the Government’s commitment to the continued improvement of transport connectivity in the Lagos Metropolitan Area (LMA). These initiatives are: (i) Lagos State Water Transport Program; (ii) Interstate Mega Bus Terminals; and (iii) Truck Parking and Port Access Facility for the Ports of Lagos using information and communication technologies (ICT). 
In 2017, LASG requested the World Bank Group (WBG) to support undertaking PSP options assessment for the three proposed initiatives.   In response, the WBG, through the grant funding from the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) and Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF), conducted a Pre-Feasibility Study for the proposed initiatives. The study had four main objectives: (i) explore and identify potential PSP options to implement the initiatives; (ii) identify the legal, regulatory and institutional constraints to the successful implementation of the initiatives with PSP; (iii) formulate recommendations to address these gaps within the framework of each of the initiatives; and (iv) build consensus regarding the options presented and identify necessary next steps.   All three initiatives are an integral component of the larger project for the “Private Sector Participation in an Integrated Transport System in Lagos” which aims to reduce road congestion in LMA by addressing a fundamental part of the congestion challenges, increasing efficiency of existing transport operations and leveraging unused urban transport infrastructure assets.