- Meets APM terminals representatives in London
- Facility to generate over 500,000 direct and indirect jobs
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Thursday
met with representatives of APM Terminals to advance the development of
the Badagry Deep Sea Port project, restating his administration’s key
strategic imperative to creating a friendly environment to encourage
private sector participation in driving economic development in the
State.
At the meeting which took place in
London, United Kingdom, Ambode said the Badagry Deep Sea Port Project
with an estimated investment of over $2.3billion would address the
infrastructure enhancement and urban renewal agenda of the State.
Ambode, who expressed appreciation
on the resolve of the investors to stay the course with the project,
said the facility on completion would generate over 500,000 direct and
indirect jobs.
He assured that government would spare
nothing to see the project to realization, while pledging that the
interests of the host communities within the location of the project
will be protected.
He said the Badagry Deep Sea Port, on
completion, will be the biggest in the African continent as it is
expected to sit on a land space of over 1000 hectares.
Speaking on behalf of APM Terminals,
Head of Africa, Peter Volkjaer Jorgensen said the Group was strongly
committed to partnering the State Government on the project.
The meeting had in attendance Country
Manager, APM Terminal, Mr. David Skov; Chairman APM Terminal Apapa,
Chief Ernest Shonekan; Head of Africa, APM Terminal, Peter Volkjaer
Jorgensen; Chairman, Supreme Offshore Ltd, Mr. Chidi Ofong; Mr. Koye
Edu; Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye;
Permanent Secretary, Lagos Global, Mr. Olajide Bashorun and Country
Senior Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mr. Uyi Akpata.
It would be recalled that Ambode, back
in July 16, 2015, inspected the Badagry Deep Sea Port project where he
assured that the state government would give adequate support to the
initiative just as he assured the communities within the location of the
project that their interests will be protected
He said the Deep Sea Port, on completion, would be the biggest in the African continent.
The governor said: “The land space for
the Deep Sea Port is over 1000 hectares of which we have just been told
that there’s going to be a free trade zone and then a container terminal
that we are going to have here.
“We already know that the investors have
done the best they can. We have Mearsk in the bouquet of investors who
have signed on to this project and what that means for us is that we are
going to have the largest cargo container port in Africa, situated in
Badagry.
“That means a lot of us in terms of
employment. It means a lot for us also in terms of new settlement like
it has been said, we hope that in the next two months we’re coming to
start this project here”.
He said that he personally came to see
the project, stating that it was part of his promise aimed at bringing
development to the communities in that axis.
Harping on the need for compensation, he
said that the state government would ensure that the 12 communities
expected to be resettled as a result of the project are duly
compensated.
“Like you have also been told, this
project is 500 metres away from the ‘Point of No Return’ which is also a
tourist attraction for us, So, we have decided to protect that
particular place to make sure that tourism is also complemented in this
project.
“With a Deep Sea Port project like this,
it means that there would be new settlements in Badagry, new towns and
the standard of living is positively affected by this kind of project”.
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