The French development agency, AFD, has declared it would support the Lagos State Government and its waterways authority, LASWA, to develop a mass public inland waterways transportation system in Africa’s largest megacity.
Known as the Waterways Investment and Development of the Environment project in Lagos State (WIDE-LAG), the €200m scheme targets the moving of over 50m passengers every year through Lagos’ waterways by 2028.
The project’s scope involves the development of five to eight priority ferry routes including ferry terminals, first mile/last mile land connections, jetties, pontoons, shipyard for vessel maintenance and dredging of critical areas. It will also include the acquisition of clean-powered vessels, Information Transport Systems (ITS), capacity-building and institutional strengthening of LASWA.
“This ambitious program will put Lagos State at the forefront of mobility innovation in Africa, setting the path for other western African countries sharing the same geographical configuration,” said Antoine Le Bihan, the AFD Representative in Lagos.
The project’s preparatory studies were officially launched last week in Lagos, under a €1.2m grant provided by the AFD.