LAMATA, CCECC ink agreement on railway training centre
By Imisioluwa Afunmiso
The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has signed an agreement with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to establish a Railway Training Centre as part of efforts to develop the skilled workforce required for the expansion of the state’s rail network.
The initiative comes as the Lagos State Government updates its Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP), expanding the rail component from the initial six rail lines and one monorail to 11 rail lines and one monorail to meet the state’s growing transportation demands.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Managing Director of LAMATA, Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, said the proposed training centre would ensure the state’s expanding rail infrastructure is operated and maintained by highly skilled Nigerian professionals.
She said LAMATA had already made significant progress in building local capacity through the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue and Red Line projects.
According to her, more than 400 personnel, including train drivers, customer service representatives and operations staff, have been trained since commercial operations commenced on both rail lines.
Akinajo disclosed that the Blue Line currently has over 90 per cent local staffing, with only a few technical positions still occupied by foreign partners.
She explained that the expansion of the Strategic Transport Master Plan makes the establishment of a structured and internationally certified railway training institution necessary.
“The Strategic Transport Master Plan has now been updated to include 11 rail lines and one monorail. For a network of this scale to be sustainable, we need a proper certified training system covering signalling, maintenance, operations and customer service,” she said.
She added that the state’s objective is to ensure that rail infrastructure is fully operated and maintained by Nigerians, noting that the initiative would create employment opportunities, strengthen technical expertise and contribute to economic growth.
Akinajo described the partnership with CCECC as a strategic investment in human capital that would provide the technical manpower needed to sustain Lagos’ expanding rail transport system.
The ceremony was attended by LAMATA’s Technical Adviser, Public Transport Rail, Engr. Olasunkanmi Okusaga, Head of Corporate Communication, Mr. Kolawole Ojelabi, other senior officials of the agency and executives of CCECC.
Speaking on behalf of the construction company, CCECC Vice President, Mr. Sun Xiangchun, commended LAMATA for initiating the project, describing vocational education as critical to industrial development.
He said the initiative aligns with the China-Africa Vocational Education Plan jointly endorsed by the Presidents of Nigeria and China to strengthen technical education and support Africa’s industrialisation.
Xiangchun noted that, having delivered the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue and Red Lines, CCECC recognises that the planned expansion of the state’s rail network would require a new generation of professionals trained in railway operations, maintenance and management.
He explained that the proposed training centre would combine classroom learning, simulation-based instruction, practical hands-on training and professional skills assessment to produce globally competitive railway personnel.
According to him, the centre will serve as a critical component of LAMATA’s long-term strategy to build indigenous technical capacity, reduce reliance on foreign expertise and provide the skilled workforce required to support one of Africa’s largest urban rail networks.