LAMATA turns to freight operators as it crafts new Lagos transport policy

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority has held its fourth round of stakeholder consultations, this time drawing directly from freight unions and industry associations to shape a new regulatory framework aimed at cutting delays and streamlining the movement of goods across the state.

The session, themed “Smart freight for a thriving Lagos,” focused on the real‑world pain points that truckers, freight forwarders, and cargo handlers face daily: overlapping regulations, illegal charges, inadequate truck parking, poor digital integration, and road safety hazards. It was the first time the agency had brought together the unions and associations that operate at the sharp end of Lagos’ freight ecosystem.

LAMATA’s Managing Director, Abimbola Akinajo, speaking through the agency’s Technical Adviser for Planning, Osa Konyeha, stressed that the proposed framework is not designed to pile new costs on operators. Instead, it aims to simplify the regulatory maze, remove unnecessary hold‑ups, and ultimately bring down the cost of moving goods within the state.

The assurance is significant, given that freight operators in Lagos must navigate a web of agencies, permits, and checkpoints that often add hours, and sometimes days, to a single trip.

Consultants Gboyega Odunlami and Ogochukwu Ugboma of ITS/FAOCON led the discussion, taking participants through the draft proposals and inviting direct feedback.

Among the attendees were Mohammed Sani of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners, Yinka Onigbinde of the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria, Alade Shabi of the National Association of Freight Forwarders and Air Console Agents, and Olanrewaju Majekodunmi of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers. The group also nominated representatives to attend a forthcoming synthesis workshop, where recommendations from all the consultations will be consolidated.

The latest engagement is part of a broader, phased consultation process that has examined different corners of Lagos’ freight system. The first session focused on government ministries and enforcement bodies, tackling inter‑agency coordination. The second targeted private logistics operators and cargo owners, zeroing in on port access and operational bottlenecks. The third brought in professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, alongside academics, civil society, and development partners like the Agence Française de Développement, with discussions on digitalisation, sustainability, and safety.

By turning to the unions and associations, LAMATA is now capturing the perspectives of those who experience the system’s flaws daily. The agency says the feedback will be fed directly into the proposed policy, which is intended to produce a freight system that is more efficient, safer, and more competitive.

The stakeholder‑driven approach, the authority added, is meant to ensure the final policy is grounded in Lagos realities rather than being an exercise in top‑down regulation.