Lagos engages stakeholders, seeks support for Innovation Bill

As part of efforts aimed at making Lagos State an innovation powerhouse of the country and beyond, the state Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology recently engaged key stakeholders to deliberate on the Innovation Bill.
  
The event brought together key players from across sectors to deliberate on the proposed Lagos Innovation Policy Bill, a legislation that promises to catalyse innovation and foster an enabling environment for technological advancement.
  
Chaired by the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Olatubosun Alake, the event provided a platform for co-creation and collaboration, a move that has been variously described as Lagos State Government’s commitment to an inclusive and participatory approach to policy-making.
  
Alake emphasised the vital role of Lagos State in driving innovation investment in Nigeria and indeed, Africa, noting that approximately 70 to 80 per cent of innovation funding flows into the state.
  
He stressed the urgency of establishing a robust policy framework that encourages continuous innovation investment and drives Lagos to the forefront of the digital revolution.    
  
“This is because it can encourage or discourage continuous innovation investment in the state. Today’s engagement is in line with driving an innovation policy framework,” he said.
   
The commissioner also inundated all present with some of the initiatives of Ministry, as well as projects aimed at driving Lagos to the forefront of the digital revolution. This includes the MetroFibre Project, a massive digital infrastructure undertaking that will deploy 3,000 kilometers of optic fiber and optic fiber ducts across the state. He also highlighted the Safe City Project, which leverages intelligent video cameras to enhance security and create a safer environment for businesses to thrive.
  
Further, Alake shed light on the ongoing construction of a state-of-the-art Tier 3 data center in partnership with the private sector, the digitisation of government services to enhance efficiency and transparency, and the state’s unwavering commitment to cybersecurity through the establishment of a Cybersecurity Operations Center (CSOC) and capacity-building initiatives for local IT professionals.
   
Chief Executive Officer of the Eko Innovation Centre, Victor Afolabi, in his welcome address, emphasized the significance of stakeholder engagement as a co-creation event, where collective deliberation would shape the regulatory incentives and create an inclusive innovation ecosystem. He commended the commissioner’s vision and commitment to advancing innovation in Lagos State, describing the state as the innovation engine room of the country and a globally recognised hub for innovation.