The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority and China Civil Engineering Construction Corp have agreed to establish a Railway Training Centre, according to railwaygazette.com. The facility is designed to develop the skilled workforce needed to support a planned expansion of the state’s rail network.

The Lagos state government recently updated its Strategic Transport Master Plan, expanding the rail element from six lines and one monorail to 11 lines and one monorail. The training centre is intended to reduce dependence on foreign expertise by building indigenous technical capacity. It will include classrooms, simulators, and facilities for practical hands-on training and professional skills assessment.

‘For a network of this scale to be sustainable, we need a proper certified training system covering signalling, maintenance, operations and customer service’, said LAMATA Managing Director Abimbola Akinajo on July 12. ‘Our goal is to ensure that the infrastructure we build is operated and maintained by Nigerians. This will guarantee the longevity of our transit systems, create meaningful employment opportunities for our youths and contribute significantly to the growth of the Nigerian economy.’

Akinajo noted that significant progress had already been made in local capacity development through the operation of the Blue and Red lines. More than 400 people have been trained, including train drivers, customer service representatives, and operations staff. The Blue Line now has more than 90 percent local staff.

Sun Xiangchun, Vice-President of CCECC, which built the Blue and Red Lines, said vocational education is a foundation of industrial development. He added that the project aligns with the China-Africa Vocational Education Plan jointly endorsed by the presidents of China and Nigeria.

The training centre marks a strategic step toward self-sufficiency in rail operations and maintenance, supporting the long-term sustainability of Lagos’s expanding transit network.