Oando Clean Energy Limited (OCEL) and the Lagos government has unveiled plans to rollout electric mass transit buses, supported by charging infrastructure and service centers all over Lagos, Nigeria
An agreement for this innovative venture was signed between the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), representative of the Lagos state government, and agency tasked with implementing, regulating, & franchising sustainable integrated public transport in the state.
The agreement signed on April 28, 2022, establishes a partnership between OCEL and Lagos State in the company’s quest to become a sustainable city, electric mass transit buses service providers.
According to a statement sent to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) by Oando, the company will support the electric bus initiative with the deployment of charging infrastructure and service centers (EV Infrastructure Ecosystem) across Lagos.
OCEL Chairman, Mr. Adewale Tinubu, said Oando Clean Energy was born out of a need to curate the best energy mix to propel Nigeria and indeed Africa, to its full potential.
“As a company, Oando has always championed public-private partnerships as fundamental to Nigeria’s industrialization. Through the signing of this MoU, we are revolutionizing the landscape of mobility by pioneering e-mobility in Lagos,” h said.
Also speaking about the partnership, the Lagos state commissioner for transportation, Mr. Frederic Oladeinde, said the state understands that transportation is a key emitter of greenhouse gases in Nigeria.
“So we have developed a strategy to cut greenhouse gases by 50%. A key component of this strategy was identifying and developing a more robust mass transit system for Lagos that would include rail and waterways amongst others.
“Using electricity to power mass transit is a step in the right direction, and from there we would gradually transit to private cars,” he said.
With over 25 million residents, the former Nigerian capital is arguably the most populous city in Africa and among the top ten of the world’s fastest-growing cities.
In the last 10 years, the number of vehicles on Lagos roads have quadrupled, yet studies suggest that Lagos could become the world’s most populated city by 2100 with as many as 100 million residents.
Transportation has been identified as the key contributing sector at circa 23% to 30% in annual CO2 emissions.
Officials of both OCEL and LASTMA are optimistic that the electric bus mast transit partnership will be sustainable Furthermore, this initiative will bridge the existing gap in available mass transit buses for the increasing number of Lagos commuters.
Tinubu, on the other hand, said this strategic initiative is in line with OCEL’s corporate ambitions as well as the state government’s objective of harnessing renewable sources to create a cleaner and more sustainable environment for generations to come.
Oando Clean Energy Limited is the renewable energy subsidiary of Oando Energy Resources (OER). OCEL’s agenda is to meet the continent’s energy demands by harnessing green and renewable sources, as well as investing in climate friendly and bankable energy projects across the Africa.
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