By Jide Olaniran
Everything falls and rests on leadership. And that is why I tell cynics that Lagos is the centre of attraction for investments, not due to its population, location or any benevolent spirit but because the state has a leadership that is focused and working their socks off.
The latest report released by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics revealed that Lagos State remained the top destination of foreign direct investment, attracting $1.39 billion or 52.53 per cent of total capital inflow into the country in Quarter 2 (Q2) of 2024.
This underscores the concentration of foreign capital inflow in Lagos which keeps leading the pack by creating a business friendly environment for local and international investors.
Talking about investors, the state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the Chief Marketer, never misses the opportunity to cement the state status as a premium destination for investment. One of such opportunities was the courtesy visit of the Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Lee Sang-Ho, to Sanwo-Olu at the Lagos House, Marina recently. He host said that the state government is open to new partnerships, and assured that his administration would continue to provide a secure and safe environment for businesses and residents in the State.
He said: “Lagos State will continue to remain a preferred destination. We will continue to create an enabling environment for businesses to grow and thrive. We will continue to create a mutually beneficial relationship — government-to-government, government-to-business, and business-to-government relationship.
“We want to assure you that our government will remain open. We will continue to provide the necessary secure and safe environment for businesses, and we will look for areas of new partnership. We want you to deepen the relationship and ensure more Korean companies and build more business connections that can give investments the comfort that they require.
“Nigeria is open and abundantly rich with both natural and human resources. We are also a country that is blessed with a lot of human capital and culture is also very big for us. In Technology, Africa will continue to be a destination where our young people can quickly attain the necessary skills for them to compete with other people globally”.
On his part, Lee Sang-Ho, said his visit is to consolidate the relationship between the Republic of Korea and Nigeria, especially Lagos.
He said there are hundreds of Koreans living in the state, as well as many businesses owned by Koreans, and therefore appreciated Sanwo-Olu for his cooperation and relationship with the Koreans.
Korea and Nigeria have a bilateral trade of over $2 billion and trust Sanwo-olu to get a piece of the pie for Lagos.