‘Greater Lagos’: Government targets 100,000 participants for economic summit

*Because of COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings, we have opted for a virtual summit this year ─Solape Hammond, Special Adviser on SDGs and Investments to Lagos State Governor

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In its efforts at strengthening and deepening the existing relationship between the government and the private sector in the state, the Lagos State Government (LASG) has disclosed that it is targeting 100,000 participants for its economic summit tagged: ‘Ehingbeti 2020’.

Report says the government has unveiled a new logo for the summit which is designed to hold virtually from November 10th to 12th, 2020.
‘For a Greater Lagos: Setting the Tone for The Next Decade’ is the theme of the summit.

Solape Hammond, Special Adviser on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Investments to Governor of Lagos State, on the expectation of a larger participation in the forthcoming summit, said: “This year because of the COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings we have opted for a virtual summit.

Hammond however stated that this is not a limitation but an enabler. This means that this year we can have a lot more people involved.

The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the state government is looking for active participation from all people who love Lagos.

“We are looking for at least 100,000 people to participate in this year’s summit and we don’t think that is a tall order,” Hammond said.

Mr. Sam Egube, Honourable Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget and Co-chair of Steering Committee of the Summit, stated that this year’s summit is aimed at reconnecting with the private sector, which is the bedrock of the Lagos Economic Summit.

The quest to strengthen existing relationship between government and the private sector is one of the major goals of this summit since greater private sector participation in governance is a prerequisite for a functional state.

Egube said: “We believe that it is not only Lagosians that would develop Lagos, it is a mix of partnerships both locally, nationally and internationally as long as we have interests in Lagos we must come together to create what we want out of Lagos.

“This would also help us design a resilient roadmap to more prosperity for Lagos State and then to facilitate the spirit of sharing and co-creation that can happen when people work together.”

“In the last two decades, Ehingbeti has played a pivotal role in the transformation of Lagos State, with useful inputs into Lagos State Development Plans (LSDP).

Unveiling the new logo, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, Co-Chair of the ‘Ehingbeti 2020’ Steering Committee and former Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning & Budget also stated that “this new Ehingbeti logo is an embodiment of meanings and expression of the LESG ideals.

The convergence of colours in the logo connotes the essence of Ehingbeti as a participatory forum for integrating local and international stakeholders to exchange ideas and chart a path for the socio-economic development of Lagos State.

“The bright star above the image of the iconic ‘Agba Meta’ is a depiction of the result of working together to deliver the stellar accomplishments that define the city state of Lagos and the pervasive atmosphere of economic stability in the state.”