Lagos to transport 25m passengers annually with launch of €410m Omi Eko project

The Lagos State Government has officially inaugurated the €410million Omi Eko project, marking a major step towards modernizing water transportation across the state.

The project unveiled by the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu at the Five Cowries Terminal, Ikoyi on Friday is designed to restructure and upscale the entire waterways sector, establishing an organized, efficient, and affordable ferry system that will enhance connectivity and improve the daily commute for Lagos residents.

Implemented by the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), the project is supported technically and financially by a consortium of European partners led by the French Development Agency (AFD) with a loan of 130 million euros, and jointly supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB) with a loan of 170 million euros, and the EU with a grant of 60 million euros.

According to the Lagos State government, the Omi Eko Project is expected to move 25 million passengers annually across 15 structured ferry routes spanning 140 kilometers and linking 25 upgraded and expanded ferry terminals across the city.

Part of the initiative is the procurement of 75 state-of-the-art electric vessels each capable of carrying up to 440 passengers. These vessels will significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions while drastically reducing air and water pollution.

Speaking at the launch, Sanwo Olu described the project as a bold statement that Lagos will lead Africa in building a sustainable, connected, forward-thinking water transportation ecosystem.

“Omi Eko’s project is a comprehensive, future-oriented blueprint for sustainable mobility in Lagos. It merges technology, it pushes environmental stewardship, it creates a smart design for the waterways. And it’s not just that, but it’s optimized. This is what cities around the world are doing to confront twin challenges of urban population growth and climate change. But Lagos is not waiting to catch up.

“Lagos is indeed setting the pace. Our goal is simple, but yet profound. To make movement seamless.To make air cleaner. To transform our waterways from barriers of separation into corridors of opportunity, ” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said the project was made possible through partnership and collaboration between governments, development partners, private investors, and the people of Lagos.

On his part, the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Gautier Mignot, noted that the project enjoyed European Union sponsorship because it is on the Abidjan-Lagos Transport Corridor which is part of the Global Gateways Strategy.

“Africa is home to some of the fastest-growing cities, presenting challenges and opportunities for transport systems, Lagos being a prime example. Scaling existing small-scale public transport networks to create more efficient and sustainable large-scale systems will improve accessibility and mobility with very concrete impacts on the daily lives of millions of urban dwellers in Lagos State,” he said.

Mignot maintained that sustainability is essential to the global gateway’s transport objectives for Africa, with investments tailored to reduce the negative impacts of transport on health, the environment and climate change.

“This is the promise offered by Omi Eko through the promotion of greener, more inclusive and resilient urban mobility in Lagos. Each year, CO2 emissions will drop by 41,000 tons and 25 million passengers will save in average three hours of travel time on the commuter trip at peak hour. We can anticipate that in the long term, the project will become the perfect means of transportation by Lagos,” he said.

The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jean-Noel Barrot, described the project as one of the benefits from the partnership between Nigeria and France.

“This Omi Eko and the unique electric ferries will thrive amid rising sea levels and suppress carbon emissions,” Barrot said.

Earlier in his welcome address, Special Adviser to the Governor on Blue Economy, Emmanuel Damilola noted that the $410m Omi Eko Project is the largest inland waterways investment in Africa.

He traced the evolution of water transportation in Lagos from the establishment of the Lagos State Waterways Authority under former Governor Babatunde Fashola to its expansion under Sanwo-Olu, who he said has brought life to the master plan and turned vision into reality.

“We are going to be upgrading 20 jets and terminals. We are going to be dragging and channelizing 15 routes for safer and faster transport, capacity development for all stakeholders. And crucially, we are going to be funding the informal sector under the vessel industry transition program,” Emmanuel said.

Damilola who is also the General Manager of LASWA acknowledged international partners including, the Agency Française de Developpement, the European Investment Bank, and the European Union for supporting the project.

“This is no longer a dream we are living the dream. As Lagos learns to move with its waters, it will discover the rhythms of its prosperity. The journey has just begun, and the future of Lagos lies in harnessing the blue economy for shared progress,” he said.

He said that projects like this are a way to build a water-based economy that works for all, from operators to passengers, from private investors to the citizens.

The Omi Eko project is expected to be executed in phases over the next six years from 2024 to 2030, with the first phase planned for launch in two years.