The Lagos government says it will continue increasing investment in technology and innovation infrastructure and funding to support entrepreneurs and drive economic growth.

The commissioner for innovation, science and technology, Olatunbosun Alake, said this during a webinar on Tuesday at the Development Bank of Nigeria Techpreneur Summit.

Mr Alake said the state had partnered with the private sector to build infrastructure and strengthen the innovation ecosystem, building on earlier efforts to support growth.

He said Lagos State partnered with MainOne in 2016 to deploy a fibre-optic ring around Yaba, helping to drive startup growth there. As a result, he said, the initiative contributed to Yaba’s emergence as Nigeria’s Silicon Valley.

Mr Alake said the state had enabled no fewer than 3,000 kilometres of fibre optic connectivity from 2020 to 2026.

He said that another initiative, inaugurated earlier this year, would deliver more kilometres of fibre-optic infrastructure across the state.

According to him, Lagos also provided direct funding for innovation through programmes designed to support entrepreneurs.

He said the Lagos Innovates programme, inaugurated in 2016, had helped innovators access at least 50 innovation hubs across the state.

Mr Alake said the state was funding research in under-supported areas, including environmental science, the circular economy, construction technology and agricultural technology.

“In fact, the first patent we got as the Lagos State government and the University of Lagos was on a medical device invention during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

According to him, the state also funds research and development activities in tertiary institutions, including the University of Lagos and Lagos State University.

Mr Alake said Lagos State has no fewer than 25 pending patent inventions across various fields of science and technology.

He also urged stakeholders, including the DBN, to partner with the state in driving innovation and economic growth.

(NAN)