By Dipo Olowookere
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has revealed plans by his administration to enter a bilateral relationship with the Province of Gauteng in South Africa, with the aim of enhancing the economic capacities of not just Nigeria and South Africa, but the African continent.
Mr Ambode, while addressing journalists on Wednesday in Ikeja, said both entities have the capacity to drive the desired industrial and economic growth in the African continent.
Premier of Gauteng Province, Mr David Makhura, was in Lagos to seek a possible partnership to advance trade and industrialisation.
According to Mr Ambode, his talks with Mr Makhura were fruitful, revealing that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed in Johannesburg, South Africa by September 2017.
The Governor noted that the deal would be a win-win situation that would grow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to benefit the people of both countries.
Mr Ambode explained that, “The essence of this relationship is that between the Province of Gauteng and the State of Lagos, we actually have the powerhouse of commerce and the economy of the two countries. So you can imagine a relationship that strives to bring that economic comparative advantage bloc force into a synergy.
“So, that’s where our focus is; the powerhouse in South Africa and the powerhouse in Nigeria coming together to now do something instructive and also constructive to the benefit of their own people. That’s the framework with which that MOU will be driven.”
While also addressing newsmen, the Premier of Gauteng, Mr Makhura, expressed optimism that the partnership would enhance the industrial capacity of Nigeria and South Africa.
“One of the important areas of the economy that we would focus is mainly manufacturing. Africa has to manufacture goods for Africans and we have rich natural resources in our continent, both in South Africa and Nigeria.
“The State of Lagos and the Province of Gauteng would like to build on our experiences and how we can enhance industrial capacity, including building advanced manufacturing capabilities of our continent,” Mr Makhura said.
Adedapo Adesanya