The Lagos State Government says it will continue to increase investment in technology and innovation infrastructure and funding to support entrepreneurs and drive economic growth.
The Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Olatunbosun Alake, stated this during a webinar on Tuesday at the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Techpreneur Summit themed “Innovate to Capital.”
Alake said the state had partnered with the private sector to build infrastructure and strengthen the innovation ecosystem.
He noted that Lagos State partnered with MainOne in 2016 to deploy a fibre optic ring around Yaba, which helped drive startup growth in the area and contributed to its emergence as Nigeria’s Silicon Valley.
Alake said the state had enabled no fewer than 3,000 kilometres of fibre optic connectivity between 2020 and 2026.
He added that another initiative inaugurated earlier this year would deliver additional kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure across the state.
According to him, Lagos State also provides direct funding for innovation through programmes designed to support entrepreneurs.
He said the Lagos Innovates programme, inaugurated in 2016, had enabled innovators to gain access to no fewer than 50 innovation hubs across the state.
Alake said the state is funding research in under-supported areas, including environmental science, circular economy, construction technology, and agricultural technology.
“In fact, the first patent we secured as the Lagos State Government and the University of Lagos was for a medical device invention during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
He noted that the state funds research and development activities in tertiary institutions, including the University of Lagos and Lagos State University.
Alake said Lagos State currently has no fewer than 25 pending patent inventions across various fields of science and technology.
He urged stakeholders, including the DBN, to partner with the state in driving innovation and economic growth.
