The Chairman/Chief Consultant, Global Transport Policy (GTP), Dr Oluwasegun Musa, on Monday in Lagos, emphasised the need for a transport policy which would meet Nigeria’s interest.
Musa made the call at a news conference to herald the second edition of the GTP Conference coming up on May 15, in Lagos.
Musa said that Nigeria would need to adopt best practices, adding that the country would need a holistic transport policy to do better.
He noted that transport infrastructure were capital intensive, adding that the aim of the GTP Conference was to woo investors that would be willing to finance the infrastructure.
He added that the conference was aimed at enhancing collaborations.
“Transport policy is not something you give to a consultant to write, it is something you bring all major actors together to design to meet the demand of the economy.
“We must design our own transport policy to meet our national interest, and that is the time we begin to get it right and have investors.
“It is not enough for private sector operators like us to put our resources without concessions from anywhere. We are trying to partner with government and enhance whatever policy government is trying to bring on board,” he said.
He said that transport was a strong force behind every economy and getting it right meant getting the economy right.
Mr Marka Onuche, Director, Strategic and Business Development at GTP, said that the organisation came up with series of engagement with the government and other stakeholders to ensure the country would have a transport policy.
“This conference is a way to build momentum around the development.
“As long as the world is moving, Nigeria needs to move with it, Nigeria needs to leapfrog, and the policy is the way to go,” he said.
Mrs Oritsematosan Edodo-Emore, Chairman, Zoe Maritime Resources Ltd., said that the outcome of the GTP Conference should be used to determine how to move forward in revatilising and sustaining the transport architecture of Nigeria.
“The conference promises to be interesting because we are going to discuss value chain of the transport system and the architecture of Nigeria, with four systems – road, rail, water and air transport.
“We are going to find solutions to how Nigeria can use technology, innovation, expertise to know where each transport system ought to be in the 21st Century.
“We will find solutions and provide a communique that the Federal Government can work on,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other personalities at the news conference include Dr Olusegun Awe-Obe, Director, Administration and Human Resources at GTP, and Ms Regina Robinson, Editor-in-Chief of GTP Magazine.
The GTP conference will have the theme, ”Sustainable Transportation Systems, Global Best Practices and Lessons for Nigeria”.
Its panel sessions will have sub-themes such as “Building for the Future: Global Best Practices in Sustainable Transport Infrastructure Development”, and “Connecting the Dot: Global Best Practices in Integrated and Multimodal Transport System”.
Dignitaries expected in the conference are the Managing Director of Lagos State Waterways Authority and that of Nigerian Railway Corporation, among others.
