The Director-General, Office of Public-Private Partnerships, Mr. Ope George has said that achievements of the Office in attracting investment opportunities to the State despite the threat on business activities globally due to the ranging pandemic are commendable.
George stated this during his address at a retreat organised for the Management and Staff of the Office of Public-Private Partnerships recently.
He cited the partnership with the Artezia Traffic Solution, which is a cutting edge technological answer to traffic problems in Lagos State, as one of the laudable efforts of the Office, adding that the soon-to-be-deployed device was facilitated by a PPP arrangement between the Lagos State Government and Messrs Artezia Traffic Solution.
The DG mentioned that the ongoing JJT Car Park project and the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge as additional investment areas facilitated by the Office, disclosing that the pre-construction works for the proposed bridge are being concluded while the execution of the project is billed for the last quarter of 2021.
He further opined that the theme of the retreat “Private Sector Collaboration – A Service-Driven Culture For Enhanced Infrastructural Delivery”, was indeed apt considering the huge and capital intensive projects currently undertaken by the Lagos State Government using the PPP driven strategy.
The Chairman House Committee on PPP, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Lukman Olumo, also emphasised the imperative of reviewing the Lagos State PPP Law (2011) to properly create a more robust and enabling legal and regulatory framework for viable and bankable projects.
Also, speaking at the retreat, the former Director-General, Office of Public-Private Partnerships, Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi, emphasised the need for adequate political will to back up PPP policies and strategies as a way of attracting quality investors to the State.
He identified the urgent need for Lagos State to align with international best practices in PPP arrangement in order to fast track the provision of infrastructure needed for an ideal Megacity like Lagos.
