Sanwo-Olu In Morocco, Commits To Aiding Growth Of Tech Industry In Africa

• Sanwo-Olu is in Morocco for the GITEX One Africa Digital Summit.

• While at the summit, he expressed optimism that Africa is on an accelerated path to becoming the next Silicon Valley.

• He also detailed steps his administration has taken to help the tech industry’s progress in Lagos.

Eko Hot Blog reports that Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has committed to the growth of the tech industry in Africa as “an ardent believer in the vast and untapped potential that Africa holds” in the realms of technology and digital innovation.

He spoke at the GITEX One Africa Digital Summit in Marrakech, Morocco on Wednesday.

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The Lagos governor stated that the acceleration of the African continent towards becoming the next Silicon Valley is a collective effort that requires the continued collaboration of governments, the private sector, academia, and the civil society.

Sanwo-Olu said his administration’s focus on fostering an enabling environment for startups and tech companies to flourish is yielding unprecedented results, creating jobs, driving economic growth, and providing solutions to societal problems.

He further stated that the story of Lagos is a testament to the collaborative efforts of both the public and private sectors in fostering development, noting that “The remarkable rise of Yaba, a bustling metropolitan area in Lagos and home to the highest concentration of start-ups in Nigeria, owes its success to a well-coordinated public-private partnership.”

“I stand before you today not just as the Governor of Lagos State, a sub-sovereign state within Nigeria with a population of over 20 million people, but as an ardent believer in the vast and untapped potential that Africa holds within the realms of technology and digital innovation,” the governor said.

“As the Governor of Lagos State, a city that is at the forefront of this transformation, I am committed to supporting the growth of the tech industry in Africa.”

“Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling mega-city, is emerging as a thriving epicenter of tech entrepreneurship and innovation. Lagos is home to some of the most innovative and successful startups in Africa, including Andela, Paystack, Flutterwave, Kobo360, Kuda Bank and many others.

“These companies have not only transformed industries like fintech and e-commerce but have also inspired a new generation of entrepreneurs and investors across the continent.”

Speaking on bold steps taken by his administration in the area of technology, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that, “In deepening internet penetration, a key ingredient for start-up, we have deployed over 2,900km of fibre optic infrastructure that aims to connect public schools, government buildings, hospitals, and other points of interest.

“Along the same channels, we have deployed, in partnership with the private sector 3,000km of optical duct infrastructure. This will serve to de-risk infrastructure development in Lagos which will in turn increase connectivity.

“In the past one year, Lagos has attracted over one billion dollars in Data center investment. This will enable the local domicile of digital platforms as well as facilitate the proliferation of digital technology opportunities. The proliferation of these investments also presents 10 opportunities for talent development within this ecosystem.

“Our Smart City implementation has seen us deploy over 600 Smart Intelligent Video Surveillance Cameras as well as Intelligent Transportation Cameras for Traffic monitoring and management. Over the past year, through our initial ITS pilot deployment leveraging our Automatic number plate recognition cameras, monitoring of violation infractions has reduced traffic warden in-person enforcement by 30 percent.

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“We have also begun a significant identity management programme through our Lagos State Residents Registration Agency that will seek to identify all our inhabitants. Current projections state that Lagos will have 30 million inhabitants by 2035. It is imperative to drive the identity management ecosystem for a smarter city. This will lend to more efficient resource allocation and planning for the state.”

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