The State of California, in the United States, has expressed its desire to invest in Nigeria’s transport sector as part of efforts to ensure a sustainable transport system for the country.
The Secretary of California State Transport Agency (CalSTA), Dr. Toks Omishakin, disclosed this on Friday in a strategic meeting with the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in Abuja.
In her response, Dabiri-Erewa said more investment should be targeted at capacity building to grow a bolstering Nigerian economy and promote brain circulation.
She emphasized the importance of knowledge transfer and skill development in driving economic growth, highlighting the “need for training programs to equip Nigerians with the technical know-how, necessary to improve efficiency and productivity in the transportation sector.”
The Chairman added that this is a step into aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of growing the country into a trillion-dollar economy.
She suggested that the California Transport Secretary include more key actors such as the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), on research, training and capacity.
Dabiri-Erewa also praised Dr Omishakin for using his position for the common good of all, which is a Nigerian core value, and assured him of future collaboration with the Commission.
Earlier, Dr. Toks Omishakin expressed his general concern about air quality, affected by pollution and other environmental factors.
According to him, “transport activities contribute a great share to environmental and air pollution which has significant impact on the population’s health“.
Omishakin stated that CalSTA seeks a collaboration that “aims to foster stronger ties between Nigeria and California, by leveraging the expertise and influence of the Nigerian diaspora in the US, through infrastructure development, economic development and knowledge and skill transfer”.
With Africa as their latest addition, he expressed CalSTA’s commitment to investing in sectors such as technology, energy, and green jobs, and highlighted the potential for collaboration with Nigerian tertiary institutions, like the University of Lagos, to develop advanced training programmes for students.
Dr. Aditya Ramji, Director, Global South Clean Transportation Center and part of the delegation, agreed that training is vital to ensure local capability in promoting climate actions among the youth.
Ramji noted that the “training programme will focus on providing Master’s and PhD students with the knowledge and skills needed to address the challenges facing Nigeria’s transportation sector“.
