Comparative Analysis of National Transport Policies: Nigeria & Canada

This report provides a comparative analysis of the national transport policies of Nigeria and Canada. It examines the core components of each country's transport system, including airways, railways, and waterways, and how these are influenced by geographical factors. The report explores the objectives of each policy, highlighting Nigeria's focus on modernizing its transport industry to boost trade and economic growth, while Canada's policy emphasizes the needs of its aging population and ethical considerations. The analysis delves into the influences on each policy, such as European and North American models for Nigeria and the United States for Canada. The report also discusses the evolution of these policies in response to changing social, economic, and climatic conditions, as well as the impact on trade, infrastructure, and societal development. The report concludes by summarizing the key differences and similarities between the two countries' approaches, offering insights into the effectiveness of their strategies and the challenges they face.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NATIONAL TRANSPORT
POLICY OF NIGERIA AND CANADA

1
Transport policy of Nigeria and Canada
The transport system of any countries consists of three ways-air ways, railways and
waterway. The transportation convenience depends on the basis of whether condition, landscape
and water body existence and the countries frame the policy to deal with the issues accordingly
focusing on the favourable condition. The policy guides the system of transportation to meet all
ends.
Nigerian Transport policy has been drafted aiming to draft a modern, integrated and
efficient transport industry which will be beneficial to external and internal trade in energy,
agriculture, gas, oil, mining and other sectors (User, 2020). The national transport policy aims to
set up a structure which can direct the development and planning of activities of transportation
sustainably and systematically for economic and social progress of Nigeria. The transport policy
in Nigeria is practical and pragmatic which aims to develop Nigeria without any hindrance in the
progress.
On the other hand, Canada has a national transport policy which has focused on
transportation to be beneficial not only to industry but also on the convenience of the ageing
population. The transportation policy has been framed focusing on the convenience of ageing
policy. Canadian policy is found to base itself on ethical consideration. Canada found the ageing
population as the major challenge of society, and the country felt that the number of the ageing
population is to increase over time. Being influenced by Canadian policy, other countries of
Europe and North America has similarly framed the policy.
The policy has been framed to reduce the cost of transportation for the sake of the
development of trade. It is found that trade cost in the developing countries is higher and the
countries focused on the reduction of the cost of transpiration (Berg, Deichmann, Liu & Selod,
2015). The policy has been framed to reduce the time and cost in border crossing and develop
non-competitive companies which are free from bribe (Whitelegg & Haq, 2017).
The Canadian Transport policy has been developed and framed keeping the free market
in mind. The railway as the means of transport has been regarded as the most efficient means of
transport. In the Western and Atlantic region, the railway system has been developed. In framing
the policy, the excessive focus has been laid on the high transportation cost. The political groups
constantly attempt to reduce the cost of transportation. In Canada, the attempt to depict the

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Transport policy of Nigeria and Canada
efficiencies of cross-subsidies is still found to be slow. Canada is known to have been influenced
by the United States and the essence of the policy of the United States related to transportation is
evident in the policy framed by Canada. Therefore, attitude in the US transport policy is similar
to that of attitude found in the transportation policy of Canada (Banister & Button, 2016). Both
countries have the single aim of reducing the cost of transportation. The purpose of the policies
framed by both nations is to reduce the transportation cost to enhance the trade and the related
profit in the respective countries.
As Nigerian transport policy has been influenced by the European and North American
Policy of transport, so the Canadian national policy has been influenced by the United States’
transportation policy. With the change in Nigerian social, economic, political and climatic
condition, the transport policy in Nigeria has to comply with the change. The policy focused on
the conservation and enhancement of the existing mode of transport, execution for the
appropriate measure. The government policy in Nigeria required to be reviewed with the
changing requirement of time.
As Canadian is attempting to develop the transportation system to consider the ageing
population in mind, so Nigerian transport policy emphasized the young millennial. The focus in
the Nigerian policy is laid on the development of the young population as the country is to
progress rather than giving care to the ageing population as the Canadians are doing in the
policy. As expressed by Ugboaja (2013), Nigeria has focused on the transportation policy for
making progress towards social sustainability, no such thing as being found in the transport
policy of Canada.
It can be said that the transport policy has been developed according to the trade
requirement and convenient means of transport. Canadian as a developed country has started
thinking ethically towards the ageing population, while Nigerian transport policy continues to
change with time with the changing requirement of time.

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Transport policy of Nigeria and Canada
References
Banister, D., & Button, K. (Eds.). (2016). Transport in a free market economy. Springer.
Berg, C. N., Deichmann, U., Liu, Y., & Selod, H. (2015). Transport policies and development.
The World Bank.
Ugboaja, P. C. (2013). A Sustainability Assesment of Nigerian Transport Policy. International
Journal of Asian social science, 3(5), 1208-1226.
User, S. (2020). Report On Finalization of Draft National Transport Policy (NTP). [online]
Transportation.gov.ng. Available at: https://www.transportation.gov.ng/index.php/9-
uncategorised/232-report-on-finalization-of-draft-national-transport-policy-ntp [Accessed
9 Jan. 2020].
Whitelegg, J., & Haq, G. (Eds.). (2017). The Earthscan reader on world transport policy and
practice. Routledge.