In a bid to have a safer state, Lagos State Government has installed over 600 Smart Intelligent Video Surveillance Cameras as well as Intelligent Transportation Cameras for traffic monitoring and security management.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who disclosed this at the Fourth Edition of The Art of Technology (AOT) held at Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, added that the innovation has reduced drastically in person enforcement that usually leads to issues with traffic officers.

According to him, between 2019 and 2021 over 120 per cent increase in Venture Capital inflow into Lagos was realised resulting in 1.5 billion dollars in VC funding in 2021 alone.

The governor said, “We have records of over 2,000 startups creating and contributing value across Fintech, Agritech, construction, health and so on. All of these points to an open and enabling environment for the growth and proliferation of entrepreneurial activity within the technology ecosystem. As was witnessed during the telecommunication boom of the early 2000s, Lagos has provided the central core of business and technological development in Nigeria for decades. Most major technology and telecom firms in Nigeria are headquartered and do most of their business in Lagos.

“The entrepreneurial environment and the open support for technology informed this administration’s increasing focus on innovation in a bid to drive value outputs for this ecosystem.

He said the state has begun a significant identity management programme through Lagos State Residents Registration Agency that will seek to identify all Lagos inhabitants.

He said “Current projections state that Lagos will have 30 million inhabitants by 2035. It is imperative to drive the identity management ecosystem for a smarter city. This will lend to more efficient resource allocation and planning for the state. LASSRA has undergone a fundamental restructuring of its operational model. With a new digital identification card with capabilities that enable access to benefits, electronic ticketing and so on, it further drives the digital inclusion benchmark for Lagos.

“Currently about 6.5 million residents have been captured. We are targeting another 10 million within the next .We are deeply grateful for your participation and commitment to partner with us in having the relevant conversations, co-creating the strategies that will ultimately create value through technology in Lagos. In preceding AOT events, we have been able to foster value creating contributions that have enabled a deeper and better collaborative relationship with the ecosystem. With 25,000 online and offline attendee registrations this year, your participation has enabled this event to be one of the largest in Nigeria. The continuing success of this gathering is a testament to the platform it provides to both public and private sector stakeholders to co-create and drive value in this ecosystem. We are particularly enthused to see the growth this ecosystem has experienced over the years. According to Startup Genome.

“This administration’s contribution is evidenced in the different implementations and initiatives contained in Lagos States’ first Innovation and Technology Masterplan; a plan that was launched during the first edition of this AOT event showcase. The Masterplan contains multiple strategic pillars which cascade in multiple tactical initiatives.

“Since the first AOT gathering, we have ignited the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council, a body consisting of private and public sector professionals tasked with intervening directly in the ecosystem through funding. The result to date has seen over 60 startups receive funding of between 5,000 and 12,000 dollars in the past two years. This funding constituted some of the initial runway rounds for startups that have gone to raise millions of dollars in funding. LASRIC gave many of these startups their initial funding opportunities.

“In the past one year, Lagos has attracted over 1 billion dollars in data centre investment. This will enable the local domicile of digital platforms as well as open our state for more digital technology opportunities. The proliferation of these investments also presents opportunities for talent development within this ecosystem.

“In education, through the Eko Excel Project, we are digitising the learning experience for both teachers and students. Through the introduction of smart devices and experiences. The Eko Excel project seeks to raise learning outcomes in students by multiple percentage points. Currently the Ministry of Education is running new Comprehensive School Curriculum in about 100 schools. The Curriculum contains new subjects such as digital courses in coding and robotics. This is with the aim to drive more industry standard learning experiences from a younger age.

“Through our Lagos State Employment Trust fund, we have funded digital skills training interventions for more than 4,000 beneficiaries. Courses include digital marketing, coding and other innovation courses. These digital skills training are needed for capacity interventions that lend positively to the development of the ecosystem.

In his remarks, the Managing Director, BDTask Limited, from Bangladesh, Mr. Sumch Tarek, agreed that Nigeria has millions of talents, saying that the Eko Innovation Centre under the leadership of Mr. Victor Gbenga Afolabi, was doing wonderfully well.

According to Tarek, Bangladesh started like Lagos and blossomed in a few years time,” saying “I have really seen seriousness in the part of Lagos State Government in talent hunt. There is hope for Nigerian youths.”

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr. Hakeem Fahm, stated that for the state to experience total development throughout all facets of society, it is crucial to harness the youth’s energy in the appropriate way.

He added that Lagos youths were undoubtedly the face of the state and nation in the future, adding that they were full of wonderful ideas and boundless energy, that if given the correct platform and plenty of opportunities, they are sure of shining like a star. (THISDAY)

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