The Lagos State Government says it will ensure that residents have financial access to pursue their dreams, ideas, and innovations that are investable, future thinking and solution providing.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu made the promise at the Grand opening of the Emerging Africa Campus and fourth Anniversary of Emerging Africa Capital Group held on Thursday at Ikoyi, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Emerging Africa Group is a provider of financial services aimed at facilitating the investment process for African entities and individuals and for investors interested in Africa’s attractive investment opportunities.
Sanwo-Olu who was represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, said his administration would continue to promote an enabling business, economic and financial environment.
He added that not only has Lagos got the market and economic capacity, it also have the best brains, population, and most hardworking and enterprising individuals and organisations.
“In Lagos, we remain concerned and we are relentless in our resolve to close the financial gap through direct financial support and policies to promote financial inclusion.
“We are working to ensure our citizenry have financial access to enable them pursue their dreams, ideas, and innovations that are investable, future thinking and solution providing,” he said.
The governor, therefore, commended the Group Chairman, Emerging Africa Group, Chief Onikepo Akande and its management for not only noticing the challenges in Africa’s huge financial access gap, but for rising up to the challenge of addressing the gap by providing a workable solution through the group’s platform.
He lauded the group for evolving from a pure investment bank into an Environmental, Social, and Governance-focused Investment group with equity and debt interests across investment banking, financial technology, microfinance banking, capacity building, energy and road infrastructure.
“It is highly pleasing to note that through the group, up to $1billion has been raised for governments and companies it represented.
“This speaks loudly of vision, growth, and expansion,” he said.
On the launch of the Emerging Africa Campus, Sanwo-Olu expressed optimism that the campus would speak greatly of work-life balance, friendly, and a highly comfortable work environment which would make work flow and intellectual productivity easier.
Earlier in her address, the former Minister of Industry and Chairman, Emerging Africa Group, Chief Onikepo Akande, said opening of the Emerging Africa Campus would foster the Financial Inclusion gap of Africa communities and companies by leveraging on talents, innovation and collaboration.
In her remarks, the group’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Toyin Sanni, said the organisation was established to provide financial and investment solutions to public and private sector projects with the aim of addressing Africa’s huge financial access gap.
