Owing to slow down in the construction of Eko Atlantic City in Lagos, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) says it will organise an international investors forum to promote and attract investors to the project described as Lagos’ Champs’ Elysees.
Eko Atlantic, an initiative of South Energyx Nigeria Ltd chaired by Ronald Chagoury, is a high-end seaside development in Nigeria’s megacity of Lagos which construction has slowed down owing to contraction in the West African nation’s economy.
The project hoping on the rebound of the economy, is being built on a planned 10 square-kilometer (3.8 square-mile) stretch of land that’s being reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean.
When the project is eventually completed, it will house as many as 250,000 people in the development where a three-bedroom apartment could cost almost $1 million, according to online property listings.
Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the UNWTO on a technical visit to the city by African Tourism Ministers, UNWTO executives and delegates led by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed was amazed to see such a huge and world standard construction project in Nigeria, and promised that the UNWTO would do everything possible to promote it.
Lai Mohammed who took the team that also visited Freedom Park – the old Broad street colonial prison, now a memorial and leisure park in Lagos Island where notable prisoners at the then Broad Street Prison were nationalists including Herbert Macaulay Anthony Enahoro, Obafemi Awolowo and labour leader, Pa Michael Imoudu, said Lagos was the choice for the technical visit because of its foremost place in the country’s tourism architecture.
During an earlier visit to Gov. Ambode by the team, the governor said the support and partnership with the Federal Government for a successful hosting of the event was in the best interest of the state.
The governor noted that Lagos is an integral part of the entire diversification agenda of the Federal Government through tourism.
He said it is important for the state to integrate itself and share available possibilities and opportunities in tourism with the country and the continent at large.
Ambode said Lagos has about 24 million population and the recent UN survey and report stated that 86 people entered the state every one hour and many of which will not go back.
He said based on the statistics, the state considered tourism as a low hanging fruits for creating employment for the high inflow of people and generating revenue for the state.
The governor said the Eko Atlantic city was conceived, among other reasons, to create tourism infrastructure that will grow the state’s economy.
Ambode said that the new city within a city is the biggest project of its kind in Africa with its massive shopping malls, facilities for water sport and other tourism attractions.
The Eko Atlantic City adjoins Victoria Island district of Lagos city and the Phase 1 area of Lekki, to the north, while the entire Western, eastern and southern borders is a coastline.
It is designed to have a total of 10 districts, spread across a land area of approximately 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi),
Upon completion, the new peninsula, is anticipating at least 250,000 residents and a daily flow of 150,000 commuters.
The city will also satisfy needs for financial, commercial, residential and tourist accommodations, with a state of the art high tech infrastructure.
The development will also have a positive environmental impact, as it will help in stopping the erosion of Lagos State’s coastline.
The development is being carried out as a Public-Private-Partnership, with private companies and investors providing the funding, while Lagos State Government is a strategic partner, with the support of the Federal Government.
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