Lagos to run public buses with biogas

Transforming Lagos' transport system

Lagos, one of Africa's largest and fastest growing cities, is home to over 20 million people. The city's population is expected to double by 2050, creating significant challenges for its underdeveloped transport system. Currently, many of Lagos' 21 million daily trips are made by privately owned minibuses that operate without central planning. This fragmented system limits economic development, restricts access to the labour market for the poor, increases safety risks (especially for women), degrades air quality and increases the risk of road accidents. Transport accounts for about 43% of Lagos State's total greenhouse gas emissions.

However, Lagos State has an ambitious climate action plan, including a net zero target to 2050, and the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) aims to significantly expand the transport system to include multiple modes (bus, train, boat) and diversify fuel use from diesel to alternatives such as natural gas, biogas and electricity. The results of a recently completed feasibility study funded by Swedfund have shown that the production of biogas from organic waste represents a significant business opportunity for Lagos. This transition promises to improve the accessibility and efficiency of the transport system while reducing emissions and improving waste management with significant socio-economic benefits.

Watch our interview with Swedfund's Johan Bostr?m Heiskala and LAMATA MD Abimbola Akinajo :

Swedfund's role

Swedfund supports the development of Lagos' transport system as a means to contribute to economic growth, a reduction in carbon emissions, improved living conditions for Lagos' residents, and to support opportunities for Swedish business. As part of a broader Team Sweden engagement to support sustainable transport development, Swedfund has over the past two years, worked with LAMATA through the Project Accelerator to support the development of a sustainable transport system and the phasing out of diesel fuel. An initial study funded by Swedfund evaluated various alternative fuels and identified biogas as an economically and environmentally attractive option. The study has required and benefited from close collaboration with Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and other public authorities. As biogas has the same chemical composition as natural gas, gas buses can run on fossil gas first and gradually switch to biogas. Scania has shown great interest in supplying gas buses to Lagos.

Swedfund's collaboration with LAMATA has also expanded to include rail transport and the development of commuter rail lines. These feasibility studies not only support the sustainable development of Lagos, but also open up opportunities for the export of Swedish sustainable solutions, demonstrating the potential for Swedish companies to contribute to and benefit from this transformation.

"LAMATA's vision is to provide a world-class, sustainable, integrated multimodal transport system that will satisfy all stakeholders and grow Lagos economically and socially. Our collaboration with Swedfund has been instrumental in assessing and developing alternative fuels for our buses, particularly biogas. This partnership has not only helped us assess whether biogas is attractive for Lagos transport but also laid out a roadmap for implementation, including policy and legal frameworks to work with the private sector." - Abimbola Akinajo, Managing Director, LAMATA.

The positive developments in Lagos' transport system, supported by collaborations such as that between Swedfund and LAMATA, are opening the way to a more sustainable and inclusive future for the city.

?? Our work with LAMATA is part of a broader #TeamSweden effort, with special thanks to Business Sweden Middle East and Africa , Anthonia Adenaya Huard , Nathalie Thiel , Ehi Ehoche , Philip ?kesson , The Embassy of Sweden in Abuja, Annika Hahn Englund, Fredrik ?hsberg , Sara Ibru , Mathias Gustavsson , IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Fran?ois LECHAT from Scania West Africa .

? Learn more about the Project Accelerator.

#Swedfund #ProjectAccelerator #TeamSweden #Nigeria #Lagos #UrbanTransport #Infrastructure

Swedfund International Lamataonline Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) Business Sweden International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR) EKN Exportkreditn?mnden SEK Svensk Exportkredit Sida Regeringskansliet, Utrikesdepartementet