Ahead of its two-day National Conference and Annual General Meeting, starting on 8 October at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja, the Nigeria chapter of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) said that the primary objective of the sessions is to “support and complement the efforts of the Federal Government to transform the transportation and logistics systems of the country into a more productive sector using the transformative power of technology in revolutionising Nigeria’s transportation and logistics system for sustainable development”.
At a pre-event press conference held virtually on Thursday, the Chairman of the 2024 Conference Planning Committee, Prof. Kayode Oyesiku said that this is in line with the theme of the conference, ‘Transforming Nigeria’s Transportation and Logistics Systems for Development’.
He explained that the 2024 conference is also planned to address the challenges and opportunities facing Nigeria’s transportation and logistics sector and explore the complex dynamics between transportation systems and land use patterns in the cities. According to the former Vice Chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education, the conference would also highlight the need for integrated strategies to develop modern transportation infrastructure with a view to creating sustainable, efficient, and equitable transportation systems that support liveable cities and overall development of the country.
He further said: “The CILT annual conference is the most important event for members of all grades and backgrounds as well as for researchers in the field to transport within and outside the country”.
Oyesiku described the transportation and logistics sector as the backbone of any economy. “It is the lifeblood that connects people, goods, and services. However, Nigeria’s transportation and logistics system faces numerous challenges, including inefficiencies, congestion, and lack of infrastructure. Against this backdrop, the CILT conference annually attracts industrial sector operators, private and public partners of transport corporations, researchers from tertiary institutions in the field of transport around the country and provides opportunities to share ideas and research outputs from the wide diversity of transport and logistics related topics”, he said.
According to him, this year’s conference would bring together transportation and logistics professionals, experts, thought leaders, academics and researchers and industry frontline chief executives to advance strategies towards various areas including
- Leveraging technology to optimise transportation infrastructure
- Enhancing logistics operations through data analytics
- Digital innovation in supply chain management and
- Collaborative strategies for sustainable development
Oyesiku assured that the conference would explore the latest trends and innovations in transportation and logistics, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and recommend government policy and regulation in supporting the growth of the sector. These, he said, are aimed at driving economic growth, and improving Nigeria’s economic and industrial development that would eventually make the country the trading hub of the continent.
The Planning Committee Chairman said that the 2024 CILT conference is a “continuum of the success of its previous years’. It promises to be an event that will attract more participants where sessions on various topics related to transport, and logistics are to be discussed”.
With the CILT conference increasingly gaining popularity, over 500 delegates and participants from different sectors of transport and logistics organisations and public service attended last year’s conference. “We expect more this year from different segments of the industry, academia, the scientific community, professionals and government officials from within and outside the country”, Oyesiku said.
The 2024 CILT conference will feature several discussion panels, scientific paper presentations by speakers from the academics and relevant professions and experts. He further said: “The next generation of transport professionals will rub minds on the strategies for transforming the future of transportation and logistics in Nigeria for two full days. The conference delegates will be able to take part in guided tours of immense significance to the profession and the Federal Capital city of Abuja, namely Abuja Light Rail Revolution Tour, including the Abuja City to International Airport terminal passenger facilities; and Abuja’s Green Wheels in Motion Electric Car Showcase tour”.
