By Gabriel Agbeja

The Federal Government has restated its commitment to strengthening national policy towards sustainable growth in transportation sector.

Dr Segun Obayendo, the Chairman Governing Council, Chartered Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA), said this at a news conference on the forthcoming 6th National Transport Conference in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference, which has “Sustainable Transportation in a Disruptive Era: The Challenges of Developing Economy” as its theme, is scheduled for  Nov.12 to Nov. 13 in Abuja

Obayendo said the effective policy and regulatory framework would be institutionalised to advance transportation sector in the nation to reduce congestion and enhancing urban and rural connectivity.

He added that such effort would tackle current challenges and promote sustainable growth in the transportation sector.

“The theme itself encapsulates the dual challenge of maintaining sustainability while navigating through a period of unprecedented disruption in the transport sector.

“We are at a juncture where traditional methods meet innovative technology, where the environmental imperatives intersect with economic growth and where policy meets practice.

“This summit will dissect these layers, offering insights from global experts, local innovators, and policymakers, “ he said.

According to him, Nigeria’s roads and highways form the backbone of the country’s transport network, as these arteries handle 90 per cent of all passengers and freight traffic.

He said the government had also determined to have robust national data bank of the transportation sector.

“This data bank will serve as a hub for collecting, analysing, and disseminating transport-related data to support informed decision-making and policy formulation in the transport sector.

“The objectives include monitoring of transport and logistics activities in Nigeria, providing transport intelligence to stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Transport and its agencies.

“Other are to offer data analytic services to support evidence-based planning and policy decisions.”

He said the data bank would enhance transport planning and policy formulation, improved transport infrastructure development, increased efficiency in transport operations and better decision-making for stakeholders.

In his remarks, Prof. Samuel Odewumi, Chairman, Planning Committee for the upcoming 6th National Transport Conference, said the conference aimed to revamp transportation infrastructure in developing economies like Nigeria.

According to him, conference aims to be a platform for robust discussions as the resource persons would present case studies, data-driven analysis and forward-thinking solution.

“ The stakeholders will also deepen efforts to propel transportation sector into a new era of efficiency, sustainability and inclusiveness, “ he said.

According to him, the major focus of the conference would be current state of transportation in developing countries; human and cultural issues in transportation as well as destructive technologies, innovations and governance. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Deji Abdulwahab