LASG COLLABORATES WITH UK ON URBAN DEVELOPMENT
The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the United Kingdom through the Future Cities Programme, has developed urban renewal guidelines for the State, the Chief Resilience Officer, Lagos State Resilience Office (LASRO), Dr. Folayinka Dania, has said.
Dania, who revealed this on Monday during a joint visit with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, to Otto-Iddo Community in Ijora, Lagos, said the guidelines adopted a participatory, community-led approach and advanced strategies for resettlement, slum upgrading, regeneration, redevelopment and public-private partnerships to be implemented starting with a pilot scheme.
He informed the Community leaders that Otto-Iddo has been picked by the United Kingdom Government as a pilot community to domesticate the newly developed Urban Renewal policy for the State.
On her part, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said that the UK government is passionate about human development and that is why the guidelines were designed for communities most affected by climate change.
Her words: “The State chose Otto-Iddo because we believe if we can do something in a small community and it works, we will be able to replicate it across the State. I am here to see the impact of climate change, particularly flooding, on this community. Climate change is a problem globally with the temperature rising and extreme weather events affecting many from going about their businesses and their daily livelihoods”.
“After completion of the guidelines, there was a need to visit the community in order to understand and appreciate the situation on ground and determine strategies for implementation of the developed guidelines. The Lagos State Government and Otto community are working with us on proffering solutions to address these issues and ensure that the people live a better life”, she added.
The High Commissioner mentioned that the British government would also support the development of a business case for investors towards implementation of the Urban Renewal programme.
The Deputy High Commissioner, Ben Liewellyn Jones, stated that the plan will ensure that there are buildings and other facilities resilient to climate change impact within the State.
“We are working with the State not to have only a green bond that can help build infrastructure but also climate insurance that can help the community to respond to the impact of the climate change so that when flooding occurs, these communities can have flood-proof infrastructure for residents”, he added.
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