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The Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics base (LADOL), a high-valued industrial Free Trade Zone in Lagos, is perfecting plans to develop facility that would focus on providing infrastructure for companies operating in the non-oil sectors.
LADOL Free Zone, which recently received three different categories of Global Free Zone of the Year Awards for developing world-class industrial facility for the logistics sector, said that the next phase of its development would be to attract industries in agriculture, technology, finance, healthcare and education sectors.
Established in 2001, LADOL till date has attracted over $500 million worth of private investment and is currently playing host to one of the largest ship integration and fabrication yard in West Africa.
Speaking shortly after receiving the awards, which was organised by fDi Magazine, a Financial Times publication, Amy Jadesimi, managing director of LADOL, said that LADOL and its partners have been investing for over 16 years in creating sustainable infrastructure that can support large-scale industrialisation in Nigeria.
According to her, the growth the Free Zone has achieved against surmountable odds enabled it to receive three prestigious awards from fDi Magazine including the Free Zone of the Year for Large Tenants; Premier Destination for Education and Training and second place in the Free Zone of the Year award for Africa.
She said that the management of LADOL will continue to look ahead for opportunities in building infrastructure that will support the next generation of Nigerian and international owned companies. “This will help to diversify the local marketplace and drive Nigeria’s economic growth till 2030.”
“Essential to LADOL’s blueprint for sustainable industrialisation is job creation. Approximately 2,000 jobs have been directly established at the Free Zone, and it has the potential to create a further 50,000 through the multiplier effect the development of the Free Zone will have on the creation of ancillary businesses,” the LADOL boss added.
Currently, the hull of the Total’s Egina FPSO, which begun its voyage to Nigeria last week, will be integrated and completed at LADOL in 2018, and this will mark a major milestone in the development of Nigeria’s local content development.
However, the management of LADOL is expected to breaking ground in 2018 for the building of LADOL’s Upskilling Academy, which aims to equip more Nigerians with the needed education to bridge the productivity and skills gaps that exist in Nigeria.
According to FDi, LADOL was selected for recognition due to the key initiatives taken by the promoters of the free zones as well as the implementation of new facilities and services for the benefit of the companies located in the Zone.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
