The Lagos and Kano State Governments thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) seeking to expand their investment opportunities through robust economic partnership and cooperation.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and his Kano counterpart, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, signed the agreement after the Lagos-Kano Economic and Investment Summit, thereby ending decades of regional barriers between the two most populous cities in the country.
Under the MoU, specifically, the two states agreed to create common platform for exploring, expanding and developing areas of economic development and investment, which they believed, could generate thousands of jobs and further improve Nigeria’s ease of doing business rating.
Likewise, the states agreed to expand the current level of economic and investment cooperation between them especially in key areas of governance, security, internally generated revenue, agricultural value chain, tourism, education, information and communication technology and skill development.
The states, equally, agreed to improve trade relations and expand their volume of commerce with specific focus on ease of doing business and infrastructure in power, transportation and urban waste management.
The states agreed “to establish a formal and flexible framework between the two states to expand trade and investment cooperation, foster scientific and technological collaboration for business development in emerging key sectors, strengthen communication, enhance trust, boost economic development and create jobs.”
To facilitate its implementation, both Lagos and Kano specifically constituted a technical working group to oversee the implementation of the objectives of the MoU.
After signing the MoU, Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Adebule, said the agreement was a clear testament of the commitment of both states “to collaborate in the overall best interest of the people.”
With this development, Adebule said the two governors “are telling the entire world that collaboration, cooperation, partnership can always work to bring about economic sufficiency in our states and off course the entire nation.”
She described the summit as historic and successful, noting that the programme witnessed presentations from experts, erudite minds, scholars from both public and organised private sector with numerous positions expressed and outlined.
In this process, according to the deputy governor, our minds have been availed with torrents of ideas, information, statistics, interpretation and above all vision and collaboration leading to economic sufficiency.
She, therefore, said: “I am convinced that the most valuable outcome of this engagement is the fact that we have governors who have vision and have the opportunity of sharing this vision. We are not just sharing the vision but providing an enabling environment for this vision to be actualised.
“We have the political will. The political will has been demonstrated and it signifies the fact that we are ready for business. Lagos and Kano mean business and we are ready for business,” the deputy governor said.
