Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, unveiled his ambitious plan for the state’s development over the next decade.
Sanwo-Olu expressed optimism that Lagos, which has the 5th largest economy in Africa, would by 2030, have a running city-wide network of colour-coded Metro Lines that would move over 34.5 million people monthly and drastically cut travels time in the metropolis.
The State Governor outlined key infrastructure deliverables being undertaken by the State at the 8th Lagos Economic Summit, otherwise known as Ehingbeti.
The three-day event with the theme: “Greater Lagos: Setting the Tone for the Next Decade”, is facilitated by the organised private sector in support by the State Government.
The summit is largely virtual, but some sessions are held physically at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island.
Ehingbeti Summit, co-chaired by the Chairman of Citi Bank, Mr Yemi Cardoso, is an initiative introduced in 2000 as a biennial event aimed at creating a credible forum to discuss and formulate policies for accelerating infrastructure development and stimulating economic growth of Lagos.
The event was virtually attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, newly appointed Director-General of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President of Africa Development Bank, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, and founder of Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, among others.
Sanwo-Olu, in his address, disclosed that the race to digitise every community in Lagos had begun with the ongoing laying of 6,000-kilometre fibre optic infrastructure across the city.
He stressed that the Smart City agenda of the Government would fully materialise by 2030 when the entire landscape of Lagos would have been covered by a network of several thousands of kilometres of fibre optic, carrying broadband internet into all homes, offices and schools.
The move, the Governor said, was to leverage technology to revolutionise business culture in Lagos by energising Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that form the backbone of the State economy.
Read him: “I invite every well-meaning Nigerian to join me to look ahead at the next decade, and the possibilities that lie ahead for Lagos. What will Lagos State look like by 2030? There will be a city-wide network of colour-coded Metro Lines, the first two of which – Red and Blue lines – will move over 34.5 million people monthly, cutting travel time by over 250 per cent.
“In 2030, Lagos will proudly stand beside every other megacity in the world, in terms of its capacity to transport its people efficiently and responsively.
“Water transportation infrastructure being put in place will make waterway transport systems a central element of life in the metropolis.
“The Fourth Mainland Bridge will come to define the cityscape of the 2020s in the same way the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge defined it a decade earlier. By 2030, Lagos will be a Smart City, fully covered by a network of several thousands of kilometers of fibre optic infrastructure that will carry broadband internet into homes, offices and schools.
“The Smart City that is unfolding will also be home to a network of intelligent cameras that will support not only security and policing across the State, but also traffic management and data collection for urban planning.
“By 2030, Lagos will be home to one of the largest Rice Mills in the world, after we deliver our 32 metric tons per hour rice factory in Imota, which will produce 2.8 million bags of 50kg bags of rice per annum.”
The Governor said the implementation of the plan would not only create millions of direct jobs for skilled youths, it would also empower women, who own substantial MSMEs in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu said plans were underway in Lagos to reverse the tide of billions lost nationally to medical tourism.
He disclosed that Lagos was pushing ahead with a move to develop a Medical Park in Ikoyi in partnership with the private sector, which is expected to offer world-class medical and diagnostic services.
He said his administration’s development blueprint, known as Project THEMES, was designed to build on the achievements of previous administrations and lay foundations for future growth.
Sanwo-Olu reviewed the progress recorded within the past decade, saying there was so much to be celebrated in the State.
He, however, added that so much was needed to be done in expanding the frontiers of growth in Lagos.
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