By Jide Olaniran
What does it take for a state to be the largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa? Simple: A leader with an exceptional work ethics, a competent team and productive local and international relations. These attributes are what Lagos gets as Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu continues to steer the ship of governance in the state.
Events in the last two months or thereabouts have shown how the governor is taking advantage of bilateral relationships to deliver the goods for Lagosians. During a recent courtesy visit by the Prime Minister of Grenada, Hon. Dickon Mitchell, at the Lagos House, Marina, the governor called for more African-Carribean partnerships in the areas of arts, culture, entertainment, tourism, and infrastructure development, among others.
Sanwo-Olu said: “We commend and congratulate you for all the Caribbean nations to have given you the mantle of leadership right now. We believe that it is apt, and you will lead the Caribbean countries very well, and, in your time, we will begin to see African-Caribbean relationships grow.
“We are convinced that we are closer to ourselves than other parts of the world, and we also look alike. We believe in your leadership, and we believe you will not only take Caribbean nations to the world; Grenada will also benefit from your leadership at this time.
“We are willing to advance relationships between us and our people in the area of culture in your region and how we get our people across from Africa and Nigeria into the Caribbean. We have an airline that we are talking to, and let us see how that takes off.
“We are happy to see how we can further deepen bilateral movement in arts, culture, and entertainment, which are the things that are common between the two regions. We would look at how we can develop mineral resources and create an ecosystem that our people can indeed be very intentional, deliberate, and create businesses in the two regions”.
Earlier, the Grenadian Prime Minister had explained that the visit was to consolidate his discussion with Sanwo-Olu during his visit to Grenada early this year, on trade and investment. He lauded the giant strides of Nigeria in the area of agriculture, fashion, music and cultural heritages, with plans to work on logistics for movement of goods and people between the two countries.
Mitchell also commended the governor for creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in Lagos State, especially for the support for the Dangote Refinery. A visit made about 10 months ago has been reciprocated by the Grenada Prime Minister and Lagos is about to revive its Carribbean cultural heritage for tourism.
This is an addition to some ground breaking moves on the sidelines of the seventh Forum on China- Africa Cooperation in China simply called, the 2024 Beijing, where the governor, as a member of the entourage of President Bola Tinubu to the summit, made sure that he got good deals for Lagos in food security and infrastructure development.
Announcing the collaboration with a Chinese company YKA Holdings, Sanwo-Olu said: “We signed a Memorandum of Understandinwith Yihai Kerry Arawana Holdings Company Limited based in China. This collaboration is a significant step for us as we work to enhance the Lagos Rice Mill in Imota, Ikorodu. The goal is to elevate the rice value chain in Lagos and I believe this partnership will make a real difference”.
The multimodal transportation plan of the state also got a boost as the governor signed a deal to bring another metro line to life. The cheering news, which got Lagosians excited, will see Lagos work with the Ministry of Finance Incorporated and China Harbour Engineering Company.
Also part of the goodies from China is the agreement to construct the Lekki-Epe Link bridge in order to engender economic growth in a part of the state that is fast becoming an industrial hub. Sanwo-Olu said: “We believe that good roads and transport infrastructure are essential for growth of Lagos State and, to support this, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CCECC to build the Lekki-Epe link bridge in Lekki-Epe axis of Lagos State.
“Our strategic transport master plan is not just a blueprint, it’s a commitment to improving the lives of all Lagosians, by focusing on key road networks, we aim to reduce traffic congestion and create seamless commuting experience while supporting economic growth”.
This is the Lagos we love to see.