By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s plan to transform Lagos into a smart city received a boost as technology companies in China have expressed their willingness to partner with the State towards achieving the goal.
At separate meetings with the management teams of Ehang and Huawei, Sanwo-Olu assured the tech firms of the readiness of the State to take its rightful place in the comity of megacities by providing key technology and infrastructure required.
He said: “We are at the stage of building critical infrastructure that will make our city more habitable. We want technology to drive economic innovation, public security, health management, waste management, traffic management, government processes and services to the public. We do not have the big cheques to sign for this total transformation now, but it is a journey we know will take us into the future we really should be as Africa’s most populous city and seventh largest economy. The vitality of our 22 million people and political stability are valid collateral that should provide comfort in the collaboration we are seeking”.
He maintained that government is determined to efficiently manage traffic and drive compliance with traffic rules from a single point. Traffic officials need to get equipped with gadgets that interface with the command centre real-time.
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Speaking after a guided tour of the Huawei Campus in Shenzhen by the Lagos delegation, the Managing Director of Huawei, Eric Zhang, said: “We at Huawei are excited that Lagos State is planning digitisation of its assets, processes, operations and public service facilities. Personally, I am familiar with Lagos State and I know that the State needs this transformation and is capable of embarking on it. As someone who is very familiar with Nigeria and Lagos especially, Huawei is ready to work with Lagos on the transformation journey. I know that transforming Lagos into Smart-city is an exercise that will happen in phases, but the most important requirement is government commitment, which you have demonstrated”.
Earlier, he called on the Ehang management, a leading Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) technology company, for possible collaboration on providing facilities for emergency services and security agencies in the State.
He said: “Like other megacities in the world, Lagos State is still faced with some challenges that will require very innovative solution. For instance, emergency situations will require urgent and speedy response, just as when there are security challenges because safety of lives and property are very important to our government”.
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