Lagos, Netherlands to partner on health, 3 other sectors

By Benjamin Omoike, Lagos

Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to collaborate with Netherlands on health, Education, technology, trade, tourism and infrastructure.

Gov. Sanwo-Olu stated this on Thursday while playing host to a team led by the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade, Development and Cooperation, Mrs. Sigrid Kaag, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Alausa, Lagos.

According to the governor, there are numerous investment opportunities in Lagos, adding that the state is home to all and that the environment is friendly for foreign investors.

The governor thanked the Netherlands team for the visit, explaining that Netherlands and Lagos share certain similar features such as their locations being below the sea level and in technology which he said would assist in the bilateral arrangements to be discussed.

He explained the reclamation efforts at Eko Atlantic City, disclosing that “you know there is a new development being done at Eko Atlantic City. That is a city that is raised on top of water. It is actually an engineering feat that we are really proud of.

“With technology, you need to sand fill a lot of the place there; it went 12 meters down and has a height of about nine meters up and that is twice the size of Victoria Island. We poured 10 million cubic of sand to stabilize it. It’s actually an engineering success that we are really proud of.”

He also lauded the efforts of Netherland on skill acquisition and poverty reduction programmes which have made Lagos state foster economic relations with the country.

Also, the governor stated that the state is partnering with the Netherlands on education by promoting skills acquisition and ultimately, reduce poverty by 2030 and praised the current collaboration with the Dutch government in implementing the new state health insurance scheme.

Other areas the governor said the state is seeking collaboration is in the areas of water transportation, adding that “we are doing a lot of reclamation to safeguard water safety, and water transportation. I think these are some of the things we are dealing with to upscale our transport system.”

Earlier, the visiting Netherlands Minister, Mrs. Kaag congratulated the governor on his victory at the polls, praising his work ethic since assuming office.

She expressed willingness to collaborate with the current administration to achieve the desired result in areas such as maritime, health, education and technology, adding that Lagos and indeed, Nigeria has the potential to shine and lead by example.