Nigeria’s approval of ₦142 billion for modern transport hubs across its six geopolitical zones, alongside the recent launch of new bus terminals and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus fleets in Enugu State, signals a renewed ambition to modernise the country’s public transport system. However, these efforts also highlight a familiar challenge: the transport sector has long been driven by lofty promises but hampered by weak strategies, unstable investments, and poor coordination. Nigeria and other African nations continue to grapple with fragmented and uncoordinated public transport networks. Singapore and Sweden, by contrast, have shown that long-term planning, sustainability, and integration can transform this sector into a reliable backbone of economic growth and urban life. There are valuable lessons to draw from these two countries.
Nigeria’s transport reforms: Progress amid persistent fragmentation
Since 1999, Nigeria’s closest attempts at building system-wide transport infrastructure remained largely unsustainable until the launch of Lagos’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme in 2008 under the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). Standing out as the most consistent intervention, the Lagos BRT expanded its corridors and upgraded terminals, introduced electronic ticketing and CCTV surveillance, and provided air-conditioned waiting areas as well as intermodal connections to ferries and rail services. Abuja, by contrast, has remained inconsistent, with ageing fleets and the absence of dedicated lanes.
Recent interventions by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under Minister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike are yielding gains. Enugu State also achieved a major milestone on August 14, 2025, with the unveiling of five modern transport terminals — alongside a CNG-powered bus scheme, over 80 bus shelters, and a centralised transport management system, standing out as the most recent ambitious sub-national effort in Nigeria’s transport history.
Rail development in Nigeria similarly presents mixed outcomes. Abuja’s light rail launched in 2018, connected the city centre to the airport but have faced operational disruptions. Lagos’s Blue and Red Metro lines (2023 and 2024) marked significant progress, while the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is pushing intercity connectivity: Abuja–Kaduna (2020), and Lagos–Ibadan (2021). Other ongoing corridors include Warri–Itakpe, Port Harcourt–Bonny, Port Harcourt–Maiduguri, and Kano–Kaduna, although challenged by security, poor financing, and political hindrances. Combined with dilapidated roads, unreliable power supply, and underdeveloped waterways, the transport landscape in Nigeria remains fragmented, inhibiting productivity, dissuading investments, and emasculating economic growth.
This challenge is not unique to Nigeria. Africa’s rapid urbanisation is placing immense pressure on fragile transport systems. Rising motorisation is worsening urban congestion, while mass transit options remain limited. According to the World Bank, African cities are increasingly turning to BRT as a solution. Dakar led the way with Africa’s first all-electric BRT system. Cape Town continues to expand its MyCiTi network; Nairobi is developing BRT corridors; Dar es Salaam operates one of Africa’s most successful BRT systems; Addis Ababa is pursuing ambitious mass transit reforms; and Kigali is restructuring its network with electric buses and green mobility. These examples highlight a continental appetite for modern transit models. Yet without institutionalised multimodal frameworks—anchored in coordination, sustainable financing, regulation, and political consensus—Nigeria and its peers remain far from achieving fully modern transport systems.
Lessons from Sweden and Singapore
In sharp contrast to Africa’s disjointed systems, Singapore and Sweden present two of the world’s most efficient public transportation models. Despite geographical differences, the Singaporean and Swedish systems share notable similarities.
Both prioritise integrated multimodal networks where buses, metros, trains, and other modes are coordinated under central regulators — the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore and the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) in Sweden. Sustainability is a cornerstone: electric buses are widely adopted, and private car use is discouraged through congestion policies. Both countries also leverage technology such as real-time passenger information, contactless payments, and smart traffic systems. Crucially, transport is aligned with urban planning: Sweden connects housing and regional development, while Singapore integrates MRT stations with residential estates and commercial hubs.
The main difference lies in scale. Sweden’s system spans vast regions, requiring extensive regional coordination, while Singapore’s compact city-state structure enables dense and efficient transit planning. In Sweden, strong policy coordination between Trafikverket, municipal governments, and local authorities underpins the system. Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL) allows passengers to move seamlessly between modes using the SL Access Card without incurring extra costs — a level of integration still aspirational in much of Africa.
Sweden’s success stems from decades of deliberate planning, stable investment, regulatory consistency, and political consensus. Its steady evolution can be traced through key milestones:
- 1870s–1930s: Horse-drawn trams and the emergence of the first urban networks.
- 1930s–1950s: Unification of trams and buses under city ownership.
- 1950s–1970s: Launch of the metro and creation of SL, centralising county-wide coordination.
- 1970s–1990s: Expansion of commuter rail and integration with buses and metro services.
- 2000s–2010s: Introduction of contactless smart cards, real-time passenger information, and mobile ticketing.
- 2010s–present: Full multimodal integration supported by unified apps, high-capacity interchanges, and ambitious green mobility innovations.
Today, Swedish metro trains, buses, and trams are designed with accessibility and sustainability in mind, featuring low-floor entry, wheelchair access, priority seating, eco-friendly engines, digital route displays, and audio announcements. Intercity travel is equally advanced: FlixBus and SJ’s high-speed trains offer Wi-Fi, reclining seats, onboard dining, quiet zones, power outlets, and dedicated spaces for bicycles and mobility needs. At the heart of the network lies Stockholm’s T-Centralen hub, where local, regional, and national services converge to ensure seamless connectivity — reinforcing the efficiency of Swedish public mobility.
Lessons for Nigeria and Other African Peers
- Centralised Coordination: Like SL and LTA, African countries need unified authorities that integrate federal, state, and private actors.
- Long-Term Planning: Sweden’s 10–30 year investment cycles highlight the imporance of continuity beyond political terms.
- Nationwide Integration: Feeder routes, metro lines, and intercity rails must interconnect to enable regional expansion and system-wide efficiency.
- Institutional Stability: Strong governance and regulatory consistency are vital for sustaining projects.
- Hub-Based Infrastructure: Intermodal terminals reduce transfer times and improve efficiency.
- Technology-Driven Services: Real-time information, digital payments, and journey-planning apps are key to reliability and efficiency.
- Local Manufacturing: Sweden relies on Scania and Volvo. Nigeria and its peers should invest in local CNG and electric bus assembly to reduce imports, strengthen currencies, and create jobs.
Sweden’s journey from fragmented beginnings to a world-class multimodal transport system is instructive for Nigeria and other African countries to move beyond scattered initiatives and implement tested and efficient transportation systems. Nigeria and other African nations already possess some elements of modern frameworks—BRT corridors, urban rail projects, and clean-fuel initiatives—but these remain disjointed and uncoordinated. What is urgently needed is not more scattered projects, but a bold and deliberate commitment to revolutionize public mobility. African countries must adopt integrated, modern, and sustainable multimodal systems based on deliberate long-term planning, cyclical investments with opportunities for private sector participation, robust regulatory and institutional frameworks, political consensus, and effective coordination among federal, state, and local authorities. Only through such a holistic approach can Africa transition from ambitious rhetoric to building resilient and world-class transport systems that support its growing urbanization and economy.
