Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said on Thursday that by 2030, the smart city ambition of Lagos State would have been realised.
The Governor said his administration would leverage technology to reshape the state’s economy while easing hindrances for businesses to thrive.
Sanwo-Olu said his administration had begun the implementation of the smart city arrangement with the rollout of 6,000km railroad fibre optics, which is the requisite infrastructure for the smart city project. Within the next nine years, the Governor said each residence, school and workplace in Lagos would have access to speedy internet connectivity.
He said advanced technology and high bandwidth inclusion would bring a lot of prosperity to businesses and MSMEs operatives in the State.
The Governor spoke at the 2021 Out-of-Home Advertising Conference and Exhibition organised by the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island.
Represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu said his administration would offer supporting infrastructure and leverage information to boost the capability of small and medium scale enterprises.
Speaking on the theme: “Road map for the Growth of Signage and Out-of-Home Advertisement post-Covid-19 in Lagos,” Sanwo-Olu said his administration has begun to address the challenges hampering the transformation of the state in the 21st-century economy.
He said: “As a Government, we recognise that we have a role to play in creating an enabling and regulatory environment for business to grow while addressing the impact of the pandemic on business activity. Our focus is on pushing forward on our Smart City agenda to transform businesses, including marketing and advertising business.
“Technology is the current value of exchange globally and our smart city plan is predicated on this. We dream to become a Smart City of relevance and our main goal is to optimise city functions and promote economic growth while also improving the quality of the lives of our citizens. By using smart technologies and data analysis, we can properly plan based on predictions.
“We are making appreciable progress in the ongoing laying of metropolitan optic fibre, as well as the installation of smart cameras in strategic locations across the State. We believe that these two projects are critical to enhancing the ability of businesses to effectively operate. This technology will be supported by efficient and stronger bandwidth connectivity.”
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, said the conference would create a guide for the out-of-home advertising industry and encourage effective collaboration with all stakeholders in the sector.
He said the conference established the link between outdoor advertising and the state’s smart city plans, emphasizing that the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda of the Governor was developed to fundamentally change the social and business environment.
“The outdoor advertising sector is witnessing unprecedented growth in diverse forms, particularly in the deployment of innovation and technology infrastructure which seemed almost impossible some twenty years ago.
This conference and exhibition will further stimulate ideas that will benefit the outdoor advertising industry not only in Lagos but nationally. Lagos will remain the hub for advertising business and we will continue to set standards in the sector,” Bello said.
Prince Adedamola Docemo, MD/CEO, Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), said the aim of the conference was to build stakeholder’s confidence in Sanwo-Olu as an industry partner.
He said the agency would implement policies and programs that would enhance sector investment, promote sustainable growth, encourage regular participation, and promote state development.
Alleluia is the Assistant Editor and Content Writer at LagosPost.ng. She is a prolific writer and editor, she has written features and news stories on Lifestyle, Sports, Business, Politics and B2B marketing. She is also an event coordinator, host and social media content creator.
