The Ministry of Transportation has inaugurated the Project Implementation Committee for the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project of the Smart National Transport Databank (SNTDB).
This followed the recent approval of the Smart SNTDB, a digital transport intelligence platform for Nigeria by the Federal Executive Council and spearheaded by the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT).
The inauguration, the ministry said, was a major step towards establishing a centralised, interoperable and real-time transport data system for Nigeria.
The Committee was inaugurated on Wednesday by the Permanent Secretary, Funsho Adebiyi, at the ministry’s Conference Room. on Tuesday in Abuja.
Adebiyi noted that the initiative was aimed at addressing the longstanding gaps in transport data collection, coordination and accessibility, while strengthening evidence-based planning and investment across the sector.
He recalled that the SNTDB was approved at the 12th National Council on Transportation in 2012, with the NITT mandated to establish the databank under the ministry’s supervision.
He further disclosed that the project has received FEC approval for implementation under a 20-year Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) PPP concession to Asia-Arab Investment Nigeria Limited.
The newly inaugurated Committee, chaired by Adebiyi comprises representatives of the Federal ministry, Federal Road Safety Corps, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Federal Ministry of Works, Office of the National Security Adviser and the Concessionaire, among others.
Its mandate includes; overseeing implementation of the project in line with the concession agreement, approved Full Business Case and applicable laws; monitoring milestones and performance; coordinating participating MDAs, among others.
In a project briefing, the Director-General of NITT, Dr. Bayero Farah described the SNTDB as a national transport intelligence infrastructure designed to support planning, regulation, safety, security, infrastructure development and evidence-based decision-making.
He outlined key components of the project, including at least 250 solar-powered intelligent gantries equipped with RFID and ANPR technologies.
Others are: Traffic Management Centres in the 36 States and the FCT, a Main Data Centre, an electronic Tagging (E-Tag) ecosystem, database integration, real-time analytics and cybersecurity systems, to be implemented in phases.
The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to providing the policy and institutional leadership required for successful delivery of the project, while NITT will oversee contract management and protection of Government’s interests.