Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has outlined a vision for Lagos that would include it being a smart city, with a network of color coded metro lines, by 2030, at the ongoing Ehingbeti economic summit.
Sanwo-Olu in his welcome address said Lagos by 2030 would have metro lines able to move 35 million people per annum and be able to transport its people effectively.
“Water transportation will be central to life, while the 4th mainland bridge will have come to define the city. We will ensure all systems are interconnected and multimodal,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The Lagos state Governor said that by 2030, Lagos would have become a smart city with hundreds of kilometers of fiber optics, carrying broadband into millions of homes and offices.
There will also be a network of intelligent cameras for security, traffic management and urban planning, Sanwo-Olu said.
The Lekki free trade zone, Alaro city (flagship new city development, Dangote Refinery, and Lekki deep sea port are all expected to stimulate the growth of the city and provide jobs and opportunities, by 2030, according to Sanwo-Olu.
Ehingbeti is a platform for key public and private sector leaders and stakeholders to brainstorm the socio-economic path for Lagos State in a bipartisan environment, with clear priorities, detailed implementation plan, as well as monitoring and evaluation of the initiatives on a continuous basis.
This ensures that the economic agenda is aligned and sustained through succeeding administrations. The key is in the continuity of agenda, and avoidance of disjointed policies with the attendant risk of loss of focus.
The principal strength of Ehingbeti are:
- The openness in the discussions among key players, the diversity across demographic segments, and comprehensiveness of the agenda – especially economic, climate change, employment, and human development indices (health care, education, social security).
- The active participation of the private sector, which must also accept its responsibility in driving positive economic growth through investment, fair labour practices and payment of taxes.
Ehingbeti represents the economic heritage of the Marina and Broad Street areas of Lagos State, which served as the spring board for Nigeria and West Africa socio- economic development right from the time of European incursion in 1472 and the establishment of the African Association in Lagos in 1884.
The Association embraced pioneer African merchant princes and European supercargoes who promoted the establishment of Lagos civilizing role and the enterprising Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the doyen of West African business chambers.
Ehingbeti symbolizes a glorious past and a future building block for Lagos and ECOWAS economic growth based on greater private sector participation (PSP). Geographically, it is the water way and adjoining lands stretching from the Marina West (Alakoro/Apongbon) to Iru Creek in Marina East (Onikan), with access to Porto Novo and beyond in the west, and the Lekki corridor in the Lagos East. The area was the choiced site of commercial piers, multi-national conglomerates, old Lagos Custom Quay and European settlement.
Hence the virility and development of Lagos State is inextricably bound with Ehingbeti-(Marina/Broad Streets) as reflected in the common saying “B’oju o ba t’Ehingbeti oju ole t’Eko”. Meaning. So long as the maze of waterways is available for haulage of men, ideas and goods, so long will Lagos continue to prosper as the emporium of Nigeria’s economic and financial activities”.