Sanwo-Olu Urges Nigeria to Embrace AI, Smart Mobility to Transform Transport Sector
kathy Kyari
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called for the urgent adoption of artificial intelligence, smart mobility systems, digital ticketing, real-time traffic data, and connected infrastructure to address Nigeria’s transport challenges and position the country for future economic competitiveness.
Sanwo-Olu made the call on Wednesday at the 2026 Global Transport Policy (GTP) Annual Multimodal Roundtable held in Lagos, with the theme: “Transforming Nigeria’s Transport System: Integrating Solutions for Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability.”
Represented by the Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr. Abimbola Akinajo, the governor said intelligent transport solutions were no longer luxuries reserved for developed countries but essential tools for Nigeria’s development.
“The countries that will lead in the next phase of global economic competition will be those that combine physical infrastructure investments with intelligent systems."
“Nigeria must be in that race. On sustainability, the transition to cleaner, greener transport systems is no longer optional.
“As a coastal mega city, Lagos has every reason to understand the urgency of climate resilient infrastructure, but this is not just Lagos’s concern, it is a national one,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu stressed that Nigeria’s long-term economic ambitions would depend on the quality and sustainability of its transport infrastructure.
According to him, leadership in embedding climate responsibility into transport policy will determine whether current infrastructure investments remain valuable assets or become liabilities in the future.
Drawing lessons from history, the governor noted that successful economies were built on strong transport systems.
“Every great economy has been built on a great transport system. As we know, Rome did not merely conquer, it connected.
“The industrial revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries ran on railways and canals; Asian economic miracles of the 20th Century were enabled by ports and logistic networks deliberately built and consistently maintained."
“Nigeria has the ambition and, indeed, we have the market; we have human capital.
“What we must now demonstrate is the will to build transport infrastructure that this ambition deserves with the rigour, the coordination and the sustained investment it requires,” he said.
Earlier, Chairman of the event and President of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ARTI), Air Commodore Ademola Onitiju (Rtd), said Nigeria’s transport future depended on breaking down operational silos among road, rail, air and water transport systems.
He noted that despite the country’s strategic advantage of possessing all four major transport modes, they often function independently rather than as a coordinated network.
“Our transport systems are the lifeblood of our economy and the arteries of our communities. Yet, too often, they operate in silos—road, rail, air and waterways functioning independently, rather than as parts of a unified whole,” he said.
Onitiju observed that fragmented planning had contributed to congestion, inefficiency and environmental challenges, limiting accessibility and economic growth.
He welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to expand the mandate of the Nigeria Safety Investigation Board (NSIB) to cover accidents and incidents across air, rail, road and marine transportation, describing it as a significant step toward harmonising multimodal transport management.
According to him, transportation is not merely about moving people and goods but remains a critical driver of economic growth, social inclusion and climate action.
The ARTI president urged stakeholders to focus on policy harmonisation, technology integration, sustainability and accessibility while promoting stronger public-private partnerships to accelerate infrastructure delivery.
In his welcome address, Chairman and Chief Consultant of Global Transport Policy, Dr. Oluwasegun Musa, painted a stark picture of the economic consequences of Nigeria’s transport inefficiencies.
According to him, the country loses an estimated N3.2 trillion annually to gridlock, poor modal integration and fragmented logistics systems.
“Nigeria currently loses an estimated N3.2 trillion annually ($4 billion) to transport inefficiencies—gridlock, poor modal integration and logistics fragmentation.
“Our logistics cost as a percentage of GDP stands at over 42 per cent, compared to a global best practice of under 15 per cent,” he said.
Musa added that road transport currently accounts for more than 90 per cent of freight and passenger movement, while rail contributes less than one per cent, creating an unsustainable imbalance that drives up logistics costs and emissions.
He further disclosed that road crashes claim over 12,000 lives annually and leave about 70,000 people seriously injured.
The transport expert said strengthening institutions and workforce capacity, developing integrated multimodal transport corridors, and deploying smart mobility solutions would be crucial to transforming the sector.
“Integrated corridors can cut travel time by 40 per cent and reduce logistics costs by 25 to 30 per cent, directly lowering commodity prices and boosting GDP by an estimated 1.5 per cent,” he said.
Musa also warned that transport accounts for about 28 per cent of Nigeria’s fossil fuel-related carbon emissions, a figure rising by six per cent annually, but noted that smart mobility solutions could reduce emissions by 20 per cent by 2030 while significantly improving road safety.
He emphasised that government alone could not finance the infrastructure required for transformation, advocating stronger Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), Build-Operate-Transfer arrangements and increased foreign direct investment.
“Every year of delay adds N800 billion in avoidable logistics waste,” he warned.
The roundtable brought together policymakers, transport professionals, regulators, investors and industry stakeholders to explore practical strategies for building a safer, smarter and more sustainable transport system for Nigeria.
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