Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governorship
candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State speaking at different
events in Lagos talked about how technology, collaboration, and internet access
are very important parts of the future of Lagos he wants to build.
Speaking at an event at the
Vibranium Valley, a digital technology hub in Lagos employing over 1,500
Nigerians with a 5 years plan of employing 45,000 people, he said;
“Technology
is changing the way we live, work and socialize. Social and governance problems
are also solved with technological innovations especially in a city-state such
as Lagos with a Gross Domestic Product of more than $136b dollars. A huge
investment in technology and the creation of expansive learning facilities will
help us reach the Lagos we want faster”.
According to the World Economic
Forum, by 2030, one in five people will be African. Combining the continent’s
soaring population with technology, improvements in infrastructure, health and
education, Africa can become the next century’s economic growth powerhouse.
Lagos as one of the fastest growing
African city-states in the world and a GDP more than many countries has a key
role to play in helping Africa become the economic growth powerhouse, and only
leaders with the right vision, know-how and willpower can put in place the
structures that are required to accelerate this growth.
Technology
and the Future of Lagos
A visionary leader selects the
necessary resources required for the journey long before the journey begins and
Sanwo-Olu has taken such a step with the selection of Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat,
a man who has driven the development of complex technology systems at different
levels of the private and public sectors as his running mate.
Speaking at an event in Lagos this
week, he went on to emphasise his stance by first making a pledge to provide
institutional and infrastructural support for the growth and development of the
technology sector in the State if elected as Governor in 2019.
‘‘I’m aware that technology is the
oil of today. Some ten years ago, the richest companies in the world were oil
and energy giants, but the tide has changed. What we have today are technology
companies dominating the global economic space. With technology, transparency
and accountability in government become easier and possible. Technological
innovations are helping social enterprise address social problems. Tech is
accelerating SME evolutions and the impact of this is positive on the economy,
which gives everyone a share of the prosperity created by this system,” he
said.
Collaboration
and The Future of Lagos
Collaboration is a very important
part of the future of Lagos, and past governors of Lagos have demonstrated the
importance of collaboration with different Public-Private Partnership projects
that have made the lives of the citizens and residents of Lagos easier.
Beyond collaborating on that level,
Babajide Sanwo-Olu at an event talked about how when elected, his government
would partner with the private sector in education, health, security, and
transportation to solve social issues, create employment opportunities and
support entrepreneurship.
Internet
Access and The Future of Lagos
On November 11th, 2018, Babajide
Sanwo-Olu at the Leisure Mall in Surulere, Lagos launched the “Sanwo Free WiFi”
initiative, that will over the next couple of weeks be launched in other parts
of the state.
Internet access is a big leveler
and Mr. Sanwo Olu has demonstrated his understanding of the key part it has to
play in closing the gap between Lagos and the rest of the world.
There are so many big ideas in
Lagos, almost as much as in Silicon Valley, but a major differentiating factor
is access to the Internet and the lack of adequate infrastructure to aid
software development.
Lagos is the Silicon Valley of
Nigeria because we have the largest cluster of technology hubs. Lagos as a
state has about 28 hubs while the entire country of South Africa has 59 hubs.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu understands how important Lagos is in the plan for tech
advancement in Africa and knows that the sheer amount of talent breeding in
hubs like CcHub, iDEA hub, Wennovation Hub, Leadpath Nigeria, Vibranium Valley,
Zone Tech Park and even our Ikeja Computer Village just to mention a few needs
to be harnessed properly.
He has promised that his
administration will listen, get input and put forth customised solutions. His
support for the tech industry is absolute because it is an extremely vital part
of our economy.
The Future of Lagos is now.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu is now and the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment