Lagos Needs $15bn in Five Years For Infrastructure – Sanwo-Olu

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, has disclosed the state needs $15 billion within five years for infrastructure.

According to a statement by Gboyega Akosile, chief press secretary to the governor, Sanwo-Olu said this is due to the state’s rising population and limited geographical space.

He made this known on Thursday at the third Lagos investors’ roundtable organised by the state office of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and investment.

The governor said: “As a low-lying aquatic city with over 22 million citizens, confined to the smallest landmass in Nigeria, Lagos is especially vulnerable to all the challenges of a sprawling, densely populated, climate challenged, fast-growing megacity,”

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“We believe that given the rising population and limited geography space that we have, Lagos will indeed require about $15 billion over the next five years on infrastructure alone.

“$15 billion is about five times the budget that we currently have. Lagos’ budget is about $3 billion today.”

He added: “We strongly believe that the continued growth and success of Lagos is premised on the strength and diversity of our partnerships,” 

“It is such strategic partnerships that account for Lagos being by far the leading recipient of local and foreign direct investments in Nigeria. It is estimated that, in the last few years, about 80 percent of the investments into Nigeria, has come into Lagos.

“These investments remain vital to our economic growth and wellbeing, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and livelihoods across the city.

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“This is the reason why a forum like this is so important – as a platform for harmonising our respective visions and targets and agreeing on key actions that will not only strengthen existing investment partnerships but also initiate new ones.”