Lagos State is to benefit from the United Kingdom (UK) thirty-eight million pounds extended programme on mobile for development in Nigeria.
Lagos is being considered for the grant due to its status as Nigeria’s commercial hub and Africa’s sixth largest economy.
This was disclosed by Harriett Baldwin, UK’s minister of state for Africa at Foreign Commonwealth Office, during a visit to the Lagos State deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, on Tuesday.
According to Baldwin, the mobile for development programme is 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 is extending it to further affect the lives of over 27 million people around the world, including many in Lagos.
In addition, she said, the programme would enable women in the market to use the financial services in investing in solar fridges, solar freezers and something that will really help them in their homes in areas where they don’t have access to reliable electricity.
It will also help everyone with the ambition to ensure that they are able buy health insurance and mobile financial services is the future, emphasizing that Lagos is very often at the cutting edge of some of this investment in technology which is why the UK government is basing our science and technology centre in Lagos.
Describing Lagos as amazing and vibrant city, Baldwin noted that the UK government is willing to learn from some of the state’s innovation and share some of theirs.
Hamzat on his part assured the UK team that the state government would collaborate with them in any area that will be of benefit to the people of Lagos.
While emphasising that the programme is an extension, Hamzat stated that the state government will embark on sensitising her citizens to understand the benefits of the programme and take advantage of it.
“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’’, said Hamzat.
JOSHUA BASSEY
