Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat (right), presenting a souvenir to the UK Minister of State for Africa, Foreign Commonwealth Office and Minister of State for Department of International Development, Rt. Hon. Harrieth Baldwin during a courtesy visit to the Deputy Governor at the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday.
Owing to its socio-economic and political significance as the commercial nerve centre of the country and sixth largest economy in Africa, Lagos State Government is to benefit from the United Kingdom’s thirty-eight million pounds extended programme on mobile for development in Nigeria.
This was disclosed on Tuesday by the United Kingdom’s Minister of State for Africa at the Foreign Commonwealth Office who also doubles as Minister of State for Department for International Development, Harriett Baldwin during a courtesy visit on the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
According to the Minister, the Mobile for development programme was to enable a lot of people access financial services through their mobile phones and buy things like solar system for their homes and businesses.
She added that owing to the significant impact of the programme on the people, the UK government was extending the programme to further affect positively the lives of other twenty-seven million people around the world, including many in Lagos, noting that the programme was exactly designed to absolutely impact the grassroots.
In addition, she said, the programme would enable women in the market to use the financial services by investing in solar fridges, solar freezers and something that would really help them in their homes in areas where they did not have access to reliable electricity.
Accrding to her, it would also help everyone with the ambition to ensure that they were able buy health insurance and mobile financial services in the future, emphasizing that Lagos was very often at the cutting edge of some of this investment in technology which was why the UK Government was basing its science and technology centre in Lagos.
Describing Lagos as amazing and vibrant city, Baldwin noted that the UK government was willing to learn from some of the state’s innovation and share some of theirs.
Responding, the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat assured the United kingdom team that Lagos State Government was set to collaborate with their government in any area that would be of immense benefit to the good people of the state.
While emphasizing that the programme was an extension, Hamzat stated that the state government would embark on sensitizing her citizens to understand the benefits of the programme and take advantage of it.
He added: “With the population advantage of Lagos, any developmental programme embarked upon would be of great benefits to the residents by empowering them. This would also be of imminence benefits to every Nigerian and foreigners based in the state.”