Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has boasted about the achievements the state is making in development.
Sanwo-Olu said this at the Ehingbeti Lagos Economic Summit, held on Tuesday, 11th in Lagos State.
According to the governor, since the inception of the Ehingbeti summit in 2000 at the Lagos Tourist Resort, Akodo, there have been a series of verifiable achievements.
Speaking further on the achievements, Sanwo-Olu noted that past editions of the summit recorded remarkable achievements such as; Commitment of State Legislature And Judiciary to Establish legal and Regulatory frameworks to promote Private Sector participation secured improved Urban Development, Economic growth and social responsibility through effective partnership.
Also, establishment of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund; Establishment of export free trade zone and SME Hubs; Establishment of the Lagos Urban Transport Office, now known as LAMATA; Establishment of disaster Management Agency And Strengthened The Existing State Emergency Medical Services for risk mitigation.
The governor noted that past Ehingbeti Summits have also resulted into: Implementation of the State’s Water Sector Reform programme; Establishment of an institute for continuous training and certification of transport operators and drivers to enhance efficient transport operation.
He said: “Development of “Lagos Mega City” as a brand and held a National Consensus on the issue of fiscal federalism and special status for Lagos state; Encouragement of large-scale mechanized rice cultivation-taking the lead in the development of a paddy system for rice cultivation with well-arranged irrigation for small-scale farmers and establishment of a politically neutral Lagos Economic Development Board to oversee long-term development of the state and formed a mandate to promote Lagos as a brand.”
“others achievements include among many; Institution of the Lagos Energy Academy; Institution of a 3-year periodic review of the transportation plan to meet the growing demand requirement within the state; Implementation of a technology enabled intermodal transport system; Overhaul of the state’s education curriculum to accommodate and reflect 21st century realities; Reinvention of operations and processes to improve ease of doing business in the state and improved public education and enlightenment campaigns to drive awareness and encourage participation in government programmes.”
Sanwo-Olu added that in the several months leading up to this event, we have made concerted efforts towards the conceptualization and development of a comprehensive 30-year plan, the Lagos State Development Plan 2052, with the ambition of transforming Lagos into Africa’s Model Mega City.”
He said: “The Lagos State Development Plan is built around 4 strategic pillars – Thriving Economy, Human-Centric City, Modern Infrastructure and Effective Governance – and focuses on 20 strategic areas that will drive this ambition.”
According to him the long term-term development plan has been meticulously devised to accommodate the beat of all existing and prior high-level policy documents, transformation plans and development policies, including the THEMES Agenda.
Also, the Summit Chairperson, Mary Iwelumo, who is a Co partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers in Nigeria, stated that Ehingbeti is an important platform for private and public sector stakeholders in Lagos to engage around the state’s development agenda, with a focus at achieving consensus on the path to sustainable socio-economic development.
Stating that the focus of this year’s edition of Ehingbeti is building and achieving consensus on the path to sustainable socio-economic development of Lagos State.
She said: “it is the intention of the economic summit group to introduce and officially launch the Lagos State Development Plan – a holistic plan that clearly articulates initiatives that will guide the state’s ambition of becoming Africa’s Model Mega City, a Global, Economic and Financial Hub that is Safe, Secure, Functional and Prosperous.
“With the growing youthful and vibrant population, there is no slowing Lagos down. Case in point, this year, based on the number and quality of start-ups, the Global Start-up Ecosystem index ranked Lagos as 81 of the top 1,000 startup cities, reflecting a +41 shift from it’s position in 2021.
“This is a substantial milestone as it is the first year where an African city (Lagos) made the global top 100 list.
“This is just one of many milestones recorded in Lagos.
“These successes will result in the migration of more people into the State.
“As Lagosians, we must be ready for this influx.”
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