Technology growth in Lagos, Africa’s seventh largest economy is about to get a boost according to Mr BabaJide Sanwo-Olu, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State.
Sanwo-Olu made the pledge on Friday during a Digital Lagos event hosted by Vibranium Valley, a digital technology hub for innovation and collaboration owned by the Venture Garden group, where he addressed the tech community of start-ups, developers and tech innovators.
He promised to provide institutional and infrastructural support for the growth and development of the technology sector in the State if elected as Governor in 2019.
The candidate who early indications favour his win said technology is changing the way people live, work and socialize adding that 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.
He promised that when elected, his government will work in partnership with the technology sector to solve social issues such as creation of employment opportunity, mentoring, entrepreneurship, education, health, transportation and to also improve the revenue profile of the government.
In his welcome address, the Co-founder/Chief Executive of Officer of Venture Garden Group, Bunmi Akinyemiju identified how technology and innovation are critical to create economic opportunities and social inclusion in Lagos adding that the facility currently employs over 1,500 Nigerians and the 5 years plan is to generate 45,000 employments.
Akinyemiju highlighted the challenges tech start-ups face in Lagos in areas of power, funding and tax which government must address adding that with right partnership with government in Lagos and Nigeria will have exponential effect the economy.
“Digital Lagos is about digital economy that will create innovators solving problems and improving the way we live and work. With what we have here and at Yaba innovation hub we are empowering the next generation of wealth creators in Nigeria. We are driving investment. You need to imagine the amount of foreign interest we get here from around the world. We need more campuses like this across Lagos.”