President Muhammadu Buhari; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu; and the former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will be among the dignitaries that will speak at Ehingbeti, the Lagos Economic Summit, which will begin tomorrow.

Other notable business leaders and political figures across the globe will also at the summit join the private sector in setting agenda for Lagos State towards the next decade.

According to a statement issued by the Lagos State government, the summit is living-up to its reputation as Africa’s most practical and result-oriented private sector-led forum for socio-economic and infrastructural development, with the quality of speakers confirmed to mount the podium at the sessions

Themed: ‘For a Greater Lagos: Setting The Tone For The Next Decade’, Ehingbeti 2021 has drawn about 150 speakers from across the world to discuss and deliberate on pragmatic optimization of the inherent opportunities in Africa’s 5th largest economy and offer perspectives on how to manage the peculiar socio-economic landscape of Lagos State in the coming decade.

Leading the array of speakers at the summit are Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair of Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing; Mr. Ben Akabueze, Director General, Budget Office of the Federation; Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian Minister of Finance; Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, President, African Development Bank (ADB) and Mohammed Yahaya, UNDP Resident Representative.

While Buhari, Tinubu, and Catriona Laing, British Higher Commissioner to Nigeria will give Goodwill Messages, the Summit opening address will be delivered by Sanwo-Olu, while Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the Deputy Governor and Mudashiru Obasa, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly will lead the session on strengthening Governance, Institution and Legislation.

Other speakers at the summit include Jordi Borrut Bel, Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries; Prof. Pat Utomi, Centre for Values in Leadership; Prof. Yinka David-West, Academic Director, Lagos Business School; Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, DG NACCIMA; Muda Yusuf, Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI); Mo Abudu, Founder, Ebony Life TV; Bolanle Austen-Peters, Founder, Terra Culture; Miss Ojoma Ochai. Director, Creative Arts (West Africa), British Africa and others.

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 22million population and ensure that Lagos remains on the path of continuous growth,

said Mr. Sam Egube, Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget and Co-Chair of Ehingbeti.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.