By Segun Ajayi
That Harvard Business School is one of world’s most trusted sources of management education and thought leadership is a given. To also get recognised by that dynamic, scholarly ecosystem is noble.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s invitation to Harvard Business School, Boston Massachusetts, United States by Prof. Hakeem Belo-Osagie to deliver a lecture recently was an imprimatur of his visionary leadership of a state, acclaimed as centre of excellence. The event was another sales drive for the state of aquatic splendour and the governor-salesman was up to the game.
Back home in Nigeria, the name Hakeem Bello-Osagie rings a bell. The former Chairman of the United Bank for Africa etched his name on Nigeria’s business environment as an entrepreneur and board room guru. Now a Fulbright scholar and Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School, Belo-Osagie had identified the Lagos helmsman’s visionary leadership to reference his work, “Understanding Africa: Business, Entrepreneurship, Political Economy and the Complexities of a Continent”.
As guest lecturer, Sanwo-Olu seized the moment as he had always done to speak to the topic “Building the Future: Lagos State Infrastructure-led Transformation”. It was a narration of Lagos as investors, tourists destination, her friendly environment and robust economic ecosystem.
From where do one begin the success story of a sub-national that grew her monthly Internally Generated Revenue from N15 billion in 2007 to N815 billion currently. The figure currently ranks Lagos next to Cairo as the largest city economy in Africa with her estimated $259 billion GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity. These are figures on which Sanwo-Olu anchored Lagos’ impressive story. Another opportunity to share ‘Lagos’ bold vision and the tangible strides we are making in transportation, housing, innovation, and industrial growth’, he told a cross section of the audience.
You can’t but marvelled at the resilience of a state that boasts of 25 million population and absorbing more. The secret, Sanwo-Olu told an excited Harvard audience, boiled down to Lagos’ infrastructure profile. He explained: ‘Four sea ports, and friendly government policies, make Lagos an investor’s delight. Lagos is a place where people come in without anything and become somebody. We are a business and commercial powerhouse.
Indisputably, every state craves a buoyant economy to drive development and Lagos fits into that bill. Haven thrived on continuity in governance, the incumbent governor on assumption of office fashioned the THEMES+ developmental pillars and the results in six years have been amazing. The transportation pillar of the agenda birthed the Blue and Red lines intra-city trains. These were twin legacy achievements the governor first flaunted at the forum. The Blue line came first, followed by the Red line, even as the Purple and Green lines are underway.
Since its inauguration in 2023, the Blue line, which connects Marina on Lagos Island en route Mile 2, to Okokomaiko, which has the capacity to move 42,000 passengers daily, has moved two million Lagosians so far. The disclosure drew applause from the cheery audience and Sanwo-Olu went further to throw light on the state’s transportation master plan that connects the road and rail networks with the water ways. ‘We are building a new airport on the Lekki- Epe Expressway, and work is set to begin on the Green Line, which will connect that part of the State to Lagos Island’, he explained.
‘Sanwo-Olu also spoke about opportunities in tourism, arts, and culture. ‘There have been fashion shows, drama performances, and movies. In fact, a movie made in Lagos has just been nominated to be presented at the Cannes Film Festival. We are trying to calendarise tourism and entertainment’, he told the excited audience of students from various parts of the world.
Also cited were achievements in roads and housing as well as in thehealth sector. The governor disclosed in the last six years, over 1,000 roads have been built and rehabilitated and more than 3,000 housing units have been provided to reduce the challenge in that sector.He added that more CNG buses were on the way to boost transportation and clean energy.
Responding to questions on the state’s energy needs and others, the governor cited the unbundling of the power sector, stressing that the road was clear for investors to move in as the state governments had been given the power to generate, distribute, and transmit power. ‘We can give you licence. The system has been unbundled. We can concession an area for you’, Sanwo-Olu responded as he beamed with smiles.
To round off the lecture, Lagos’ Chief Marketing Officer advised his audience to invest in the city. ‘Some markets are saturated. They have built all the infrastructure they need; we are still building. Lagos is the place to invest’, the governor said amidst applause from the students.
