President Muhammadu Buhari, former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu; former Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; President, African Development Bank (ADB), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina; and the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, are among dignitaries lined up to speak to participants at Ehingbeti, the Lagos economic summit, scheduled to hold from next Tuesday to Thursday.

Other speakers expected at the summit are Founder and Chair of Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mo Ibrahim; Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Mr. Ben Akabueze; and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Mohammed Yahaya.

The summit, with the theme: ‘For a Greater Lagos: Setting The Tone For The Next Decade’, is billed to draw about 150 speakers from across the world to discuss and deliberate on pragmatic optimisation of the inherent opportunities in Africa’s fifth-largest economy and offer perspectives on how to manage the peculiar socio-economic landscape of Lagos State in the coming decade.

While Buhari, Tinubu, and British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms. Catriona Laing, will give goodwill messages, the summit opening address will be delivered by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, will lead the session on strengthening governance, institution, and legislation.

Other expected speakers at the summit include Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries, Mr. Jordi Borrut Bel; Prof. Pat Utomi of Centre for Values in Leadership; Academic Director, Lagos Business School, Prof. Yinka David-West; Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf and his counterpart at the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni.

The three-day summit, which is structured into segments, will have subject experts speak on specific themes such as “Destination Lagos: Becoming the World’s Best Investment Destination”, “Eko to the World: Shaping the Future of Trade and Economic Independence”, “Lagos, the Industrial Hub”, “Made in Lagos: Shaping the Future of Media, Entertainment, Culture and Tourism”, “Security, Law and Order (Balancing Regulation and Economic Growth)” and Citizens Participation in Governance”.

Themes to be discussed at the conference include “The Role of Transparency, Institutional Effectiveness, and Accountability in Governance”, “4th Industrial Revolution: The imperatives and prospects for Digital Economy”, “Digital Transformation for Smart Cities”, “Unleashing Disruptive Innovation for Development”, Shaping the Future of Governance with Technology” and Roadmap to Shared Prosperity – Ensuring Inclusive Human Development.”

“Our realities from 2000 when the first Ehingbeti held, exactly 20 years ago, have significantly changed. As a state, we now have to cater to the infrastructural needs of more than 22 million population and ensure that Lagos remains on the path of continuous growth.

“These considerations are the groundwork of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration THEMES Agenda, but translating the agenda to benefits for our people will require collaborations amongst stakeholders and a determination to deepen the foundation for sustainable development and growth of our society. So, Ehingbeti 2020 offers us a platform to address all these,” the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget and Co-Chair of Ehingbeti, Mr. Sam Egube, said yesterday.

Ehingbeti is an ingenuous socio-economic apparatus that has contributed significantly to the evolution of Lagos State into a major economy in sub-Saharan Africa and an admirable megacity, with expanding potentials. As a public-private sector roundtable that started as a collaborative effort between Lagos State Government and Business Club Ikeja, Ehingbeti has been hosted by successive governments in Lagos State since the beginning of the Fourth Republic. (ARISE TV)

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