FG Inaugurates Committee for Smart National Transport Databank PPP Project
Oru Leonard
The Federal Ministry of Transportation in Nigeria, has inaugurated a Project Implementation Committee for the Smart National Transport Databank (SNTDB), a digital transport intelligence platform designed to establish a centralised, interoperable and real-time transport data system for Nigeria.
The committee was inaugurated by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Funsho Adebiyi, at the Ministry’s Conference Room in Abuja on Tuesday.
The initiative follows the recent approval of the SNTDB by the Federal Executive Council, with the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) spearheading its implementation under the supervision of the Ministry.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting, Adebiyi said the project would address longstanding gaps in transport data collection, coordination and accessibility, while promoting evidence-based planning, investment and policy formulation across the sector.
The Permanent Secretary recalled that the SNTDB was approved at the 12th National Council on Transportation in 2012, with NITT mandated to establish the databank.
He disclosed that the Federal Executive Council had approved the implementation of the project under a 20-year Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concession to Asia-Arab Investment Nigeria Limited.
The newly inaugurated committee, chaired by Adebiyi, comprises representatives of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, NITT, Federal Road Safety Corps, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Federal Ministry of Works, Office of the National Security Adviser and the concessionaire, among others.
The committee is expected to oversee implementation of the project in line with the concession agreement, approved Full Business Case and relevant laws.
It will also monitor project milestones and performance, coordinate participating Ministries, Departments and Agencies, address implementation challenges and risks, ensure financial and governance accountability, and submit periodic progress reports.
In a project briefing, the Director-General/Chief Executive of NITT, Dr. Bayero Salih Farah, FCILT, described the SNTDB as a national transport intelligence infrastructure that would support planning, regulation, road safety, security, infrastructure development and evidence-based decision-making.
According to him, the project will include at least 250 solar-powered intelligent gantries fitted with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technologies.
Other components include Traffic Management Centres across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, a Main Data Centre, an Electronic Tagging (E-Tag) ecosystem, database integration, real-time analytics and cybersecurity systems.
Farah said implementation of the components would be carried out in phases.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to providing the necessary policy and institutional leadership for the successful delivery of the project, while NITT will oversee contract management and safeguard the interests of the Federal Government.
The Federal Ministry of Transportation said the project represents a major step towards developing a functional, secure and nationally integrated transport intelligence system capable of providing measurable benefits to government, transport operators and the Nigerian public.
