By Temitope Adebayo
The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) says it is partnering with the French Development Agency (AFD) to engender an improved water transportation system in Lagos.
The General Manager of LASWA, Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, disclosed this in Lagos when the AFD team visited the LASWA headquarters at Falomo, Lagos. The visit was to kick-start the preparatory study of the AFD Wide-Lag Project.
Emmanuel said that AFD possessed the required expertise for inland water transportation, adding that both organizations were creating the Wide-Lag Project together.
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He said that the project was to further develop and improve water transportation in Lagos.
The LASWA boss said that the partnership would encourage the upgrade and use of bigger vessels on the state’s waterways.
He said that the loan to be provided by AFD to execute the project would help to decongest the road and offer alternatives, thereby improving the quality of life of Lagos residents.
Emmanuel said that the project’s feasibility study would analyse about seven routes to ascertain the required number of ferries and terminals for the whole process.
“In building any public transportation system, it is important for us as Lagos to build on international best practices to follow the benchmark from other countries on how they have successfully built their water transport infrastructure.
“AFD has been supporting road transport in Lagos for the last 10 years. They helped in developing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) infrastructure, which is why the government extended its programme to cover the waterways.
“The Lagos State Government is committed to building an integrated transport system including road, rail and water transportation,” Emmanuel said.
Mr Ismail Lawal, of the Federal Ministry of Finance, said that the Federal Government was optimistic about fast-tracking the project to enable Lagos and its residents to benefit from it.
Lawal, who is the Head of the infrastructure, International Economy Relations Department in the ministry, said: “The Federal Ministry of Finance’s support is to see to it that what was agreed upon at the concept stage is not derailed.
“We want to see it worked upon to become a successful project for the state and federal governments.
“There is a special commitment to the project from the Federal Government and that standing alone assures our partner that their money is safe.”
The Project Team Leader, AFD, Mr David Margonsetisrn, said his team came to kick-start the Wide-Lag Project to improve inland waterways transportation in Lagos.
Margonsetisrn said that the AFD was planning to develop an investment project with LASWA, adding that they were at the preparatory stage.
He said that the Federal Government had mobilised significant grants to help LASWA to prepare the project, adding that the feasibility studies would be carried out by four groups of conceptual.
Margonsetisrn said that it would take the AFD till the middle of 2023 to enable them to get the loan approval for the project’s implementation.
“The project will cover the construction of new ferry terminals, jetties, channelisation of new inland waterways transportation routes, new vessels and clean energy.
“It will also include acquisition of powered vessels as well as soft component features to enable LASWA to reach critical miles to implement the project.”
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