Traxport Rail Services Ltd has announced a partnership with climate consultancy Climate Focus to advance the carbon programme for its ambitious Lagos-Kano Low-Carbon Freight Corridor project. This initiative is designed to align the rail project with international carbon standards, thereby attracting climate finance investments.

The collaboration will involve Climate Focus revising the Project Design Document (PDD) to comply with Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). This revision will include applying the AM0090 methodology to define the project boundary, establish a baseline, and create a monitoring framework. Additionally, the consultancy will develop a framework for ex-ante emissions-reduction calculations, which is crucial for measuring the project's environmental impact.

In a statement, Traxport emphasized that the rail initiative aims to rehabilitate and optimize approximately 1,500 kilometers of Nigeria's existing narrow-gauge rail corridor. This will create a dedicated freight link between Lagos, the nation's primary port, and Kano, a significant industrial and commercial center in the north. The project is expected to play a vital role in decarbonizing freight transport, alleviating congestion at ports, reducing the burden on Nigeria’s highways, and enhancing logistics efficiency.

Chukwuemeka Ndu, chairman of Traxport, highlighted the importance of a robust carbon component for the project, stating that it would be built on “rigorous methodology, transparent assumptions, and credible measurement from the outset.” He expressed confidence that Climate Focus’s expertise would enhance the PDD, emissions-reduction framework, and stakeholder engagement with Nigerian authorities and potential investors.

As the project develops, Traxport plans to broaden its engagement with Nigeria’s Designated National Authority, climate-finance institutions, prospective investors, and other stakeholders involved in the transport and energy transition within the country. Climate Focus will assist in preparing partnership and project materials and will help Traxport address technical inquiries related to the carbon programme. However, Traxport will maintain responsibility for discussions with the government and financing partners.

The overarching goal of the Lagos-Kano corridor project is to shift long-distance freight transport from road to rail, creating a commercially viable corridor. This transition is expected to allow for systematic measurement, reporting, and independent verification of the project's greenhouse gas impacts. If the project meets the VCS requirements, the PDD is anticipated to be submitted for listing under Verra’s programme, which could ultimately lead to the generation of carbon credits linked to verified emissions reductions.