On June 10, 2021, the Lagos⁃Ibadan Railway ( LIR) , Nigeria‘s first modern double⁃track standard⁃gauge railway, was officially put into service, which is the longest of its kind ever built in Africa. As a key cooperation project of China⁃Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI) , LIR was constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation ( CCECC) . SANY Group ( SANY) contributed over 200 sets of construction machinery to the project, which ensured the opening of LIR within three years.
Ⅰ． Ｂａｃｋｇｒｏｕｎｄ
In Nigeria, most roads and railways need rehabilitating and traffic accidents happen so often. Therefore, Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub with a population of over 20 million, must build better railroads to ease its traffic congestion.
On March 7, 2017, the construction of LIR kicked off. The 156.08⁃km rail was designed to connect Lagos with Ibadan, the industrial hub of southwestern Nigeria, at a design speed of 150 km/h. Since it opened for service, the travel time between Lagos and Ibadan has been reduced to two hours. Ranking among the top 3 global construction machinery manufacturers, SANY entered the African market in 2002. During the construction, more than 200 pieces of SANY equipment provided reliable and stable support for the project and ensured the completion of the project on schedule.
Ⅱ． Ｏｖｅｒｖｉｅｗ
1. Adapting product technology for lo⁃ cal work conditions.
The half⁃year rainy season in Lagos made construction and equipment maintenance rather difficult. In response, SANY developed products and service models in line with local demands, which improved pro⁃ duct adaptability. During the three⁃year construction, the overall attendance rate of SANY products reached 94% .
2. Bringing advanced construction technology to Africa.
Nigeria is in dire need of construction machinery like excavators, cranes, and pump trucks. Companies represented by SANY has thus changed the landscape of the local infrastructure construction industry. During the project, SANY‘s technicians organized many training sessions to share advanced technology with locals and thus has cultivated a group of professionals versed in management and technology applications.
3. Providing service outlets and resident engineers along the project route.
Due to the inconvenient transport and unsatisfactory conditions of a 150⁃km route, SANY set up several service outlets along the project route according to the progress of construction and dispatched 20 engineers and three special vehicles to ensure quality service so that any problems could be responded within 12 hours.
Ⅲ． Ｍｅｔｈｏｄｏｌｏｇｙ
1. People⁃to⁃people connectivity.
Chinese equipment suppliers, led by SANY, have boosted infrastructure construction in Africa with high⁃quality products and introduced new technologies and advantageous production capacity. They have earned trust and praise from the Nigerian government and people for Chinese manufacturing.
2. Industrial development.
According to statistics, LIR has created more than 4,000 job positions; it even hired more than 10,000 locals in the busiest time, thus improving local employment. In addition, it has also driven the development of supporting industries for engineering construction.
Ⅳ． Ｐｒｏｓｐｅｃｔｓ
The success of LIR has greatly improved transportation in Nigeria, enhanced the efficiency of transporting goods between ports and inland, and promoted the revitalization of the local economy and social development. SANY, as the major equipment supplier, with its high⁃quality products, technology, and services, has made a significant contribution to LIR and laid a solid foundation for future cooperation between China and Africa in engineering machinery and equipment.
Ｓｕｂｍｉｔｔｅｄ ｂｙ ＳＡＮＹ ＩＨＱ
