Oando Clean Energy Limited, a subsidiary of Oando, and the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) have formed a partnership to officially launch Oando’s electric mass transit buses at the Lagos Bus Services Limited Head Office in Ilupeju, Lagos.
In a statement, Oando explained that the objective of this initiative is to transition the public transport system in Lagos State towards a carbon-free mobility ecosystem.
Abinbola Akinajo, the Managing Director of LAMATA, emphasized the significance of public-private partnerships, stating, “This initiative is a crucial part of our vision for transportation in Lagos State. We aim to establish a clean and efficient transportation system.”
He further expressed the desire to involve the private sector in meeting the mobility needs of the average Lagosian. LAMATA, as a regulatory agency for transport in Lagos, has partnered with Oando Clean Energy to utilize electric buses in passenger operations.
Akinajo highlighted LAMATA’s openness to engaging with the private sector while ensuring alignment with the vision of Lagos state.
He expressed satisfaction that within just over a year of Oando Clean Energy approaching them to discuss the possibility of deploying electric buses, they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the key goal 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, said, “This presents an opportunity to revolutionize mobility in our country and develop local capacity in the renewable and clean energy sector.”
Irune envisioned a future where these buses would be manufactured in Nigeria and a multitude of locally trained engineers would operate, maintain, and service these buses and other renewable energy assets.
He regarded the introduction of these buses as the first step towards this goal.
He emphasized that the PoC would facilitate 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, acknowledging the invaluable support of Lagos state and LAMATA in making this endeavor possible
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