Lagos State has signed a historic deal with Dubai as it plans to be the first smart city in Africa
The MoU was signed at the Emirates Tower in Dubai by Lagos state attorney general and commissioner of justice, Adeniji Kazeem and the CEO of Smart City Dubai LLC, Jabber Bin Hafez. Lagos State governor Akinwumi Ambode and chairman of Dubai Holdings, Ahmad Bin Byat were also present at the signing.
Lagos State governor Ambode said, “A Smart City Lagos will be the pride of all Lagosians just as we have a smart city in Dubai, SmartCity Malta and SmartCity Kochi (India). We are encouraged by the fact that we do not, as a government, need to develop at a slow pace, but take full advantage of the digital age and fast track development of Lagos to a real megalopolis that we can all be proud of.”
“The future is ours to take. It also marks the first Smart City in Africa when completed,” Ambode said, adding that apart from creating jobs for the people, the project will lead Lagos to be the world’s first carbon neutral city.
A ‘smart Lagos city’ involves the vision to integrate Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions in a secure way to provide services to its residents. The objective is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens. It will also provide a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘Smart’ solutions in waste management, energy management, urban mobility, e-governance amongst others.
