JCDecaux will operate in the outdoor advertising industry in Nigeria through an exclusive partnership and licensee agreement between JCDecaux and Horizon Outdoor Advertising Limited, a wholly Nigerian-owned subsidiary of GLP.

The partnership has already commenced work, and both parties have installed four city-wide public service programmes, all at no cost to the citizens of Lagos. The programmes cover the installation, operation and maintenance of:
  • A Traffic Information System. This is a network of 94 square metre digital traffic arches designed by Marc Aurèle, providing real-time traffic information to commuters at strategic driving decision points across Lagos.
  • A high-quality advertising street furniture programme. This is a network of advertising bus shelters designed by Lord Norman Foster, which have solar-powered roof panels and are 100% energy self-sufficient.
  • A self-cleaning automatic public toilets programme. This was designed by Patrick Jouin and is located at the city's busiest bus stations; it is free to use for Lagosians.
  • A network of 92 square metre billboards for the stations under construction of the upcoming Lagos cable car system. This will link the key hubs of the economic capital (Lagos Island, Mainland and Victoria Island).
According to JCDecaux, the partnership gives it a foothold in Nigeria, which had a GDP of over €332-billion in 2017 and is the most highly populated country in Africa, with 190 million people (a population which will double in the next 30 years).

The partnership will also aim to maximise the economic potential of Lagos. The arrival of JCDecaux in the outdoor advertising market of Nigeria will increase the market’s value (estimated at €115-million), offering brands a digital communications platform to grow their audience.

Lagos is planning to install urban infrastructure that will aim to provide a high-quality public service and accelerate its transformation into a smart city pioneer on the African continent.

With the LATIS project, the new JCDecaux Grace Lake partnership delivers a solution that aims to give drivers real-time information on traffic, through digital traffic arches at key junctions across the city and via a mobile app designed and built by Nigerians.

This traffic information system, a first for the Group, has been designed to meet Lagos's needs and help ease traffic flow in the city by suggesting alternative routes and estimating times of arrival.

JCDecaux Grace Lake is also aiming to contribute to the modernisation of public transport and improvement of passenger services by installing a network of solar-powered bus shelters and automatic public toilets in the main bus terminals.

Jean-Sébastien Decaux, CEO, southern Europe, Belgium and Luxembourg, Africa and Israel, says, "In line with our unique model of organic development, we are delighted to be entering the Nigerian market, and particularly Lagos, a thriving city in many respects."

"We will put our capacity for innovation, particularly digital, at the service of one of the most dynamic cities in sub-Saharan Africa. We have developed a unique service to bring Lagos the best of our expertise in street furniture and an unprecedented traffic information system, a first for Africa and for JCDecaux," adds Decaux.

For more information, visit www.jcdecauxafrica.com. You can also follow JCDecaux South Africa on Facebook or on Twitter.