Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos on Friday, November 6, said he is willing to learn from the success story of Poland on agriculture, software technology to achieve his vision of a safer, peaceful and prosperous Lagos.
Governor Ambode, who spoke when he received the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Andrezj Dycha, and some European Union officials and Polish business chief executive officers during a courtesy visit at the Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja, reiterated the commitment of his administration to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Governor Ambode (right) with Political Director, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Jaroslaw Bratkiewicz, during a courtesy visit.
Among other areas, Ambode said he would be willing to scale up the courtesy visit by the delegation to a bilateral platform where issues of mutually beneficial partnership will be discussed and perfected.
He also reiterated his strong commitment to create industrial clusters in the state which will in turn go a long way in engaging the people in gainful employment.
Governo Ambode (middle), Deputy Director, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Iwona Woicka-Zulawska, Political Director, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Jaroslaw Bratkiewicz and others during the courtesy visit
Emphasising that Lagos is the fourth largest economy in Africa with a population of over 20 million people, Governor Ambode said the state is blessed with the market and great opportunities which can be and must be utilised for the people’s benefits.
“The market is not only restricted to the Nigerian market. It is more or less a hub for the West African Sub-Region and when you look at the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Lagos which is at $131 billion presently, it is greater than 42 countries combined in Africa. So, we stand at the threshold of the opportunities
that our new democracy is actually offering us,” he said.
Assuring his visitors of his commitment to build on the relationship, Governor Ambode said his administration has already begun the journey of making Lagos safe for the economic prosperity of the people.
The Governor added that the Government has also commenced the process of implementing judicial and security sector reforms, all geared towards making Lagos safe.
He also seized the opportunity to introduce the office of the Overseas Affairs and Investment to his visitors which he said is a one-stop shop where investors can seamlessly obtain regulatory approvals and other incentives in order to drive further investment to create jobs.
Some of the Polish CEOs, who were part of the delegation had taken time to explain one after the other how they can partner with Lagos in various sectors such as renewable energy, waste to wealth programme, power transmission and distribution and so on.
The Political Director of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jaroslaw Bratkiewicz, appreciated Governor Ambode for hosting them adding that the visit was a good beginning of better days ahead.
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