Governor
of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has assured a delegation of Walmart
Incorporated that the state is ready to give necessary support to assist the
firm in establishing its presence in the state.
The
delegation of the firm, a leading global brand in retail supermarket, was led
by the President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart Europe, Middle East,
Africa and Canada, Shelley Broade, on Thursday.
Ambode
said the presence of the Walmart brand in Lagos would go a long way not only to
create jobs for the teeming youths, but also boost the economy of the state.
He said
the success story of the brand, which currently operates in 28 countries with
over 2.2 million employees, would be beneficial to the growth of the state as
well as his vision to make life comfortable for residents.
The
governor said, “That summaries the reason why Walmart has to berth in Lagos. We
are committed to expanding the business scope for Walmart and like I said, I am
interested in having your brand signature in Lagos.
“You
have been pro-people and that’s why we find a congress between the objectives
of Walmart and Lagos State Government.
“As we
speak, we have a population of over 21 million people and four million of that
population are in the middle class. We have a bulging youth that is craving for
employment and whatever it is that we do, we want to make sure that we attract
as much investment to Lagos that can help us to take our youths off
the streets and give them employment.
“What I
stand here to offer is the commitment to make the investment climate favorable
to investors. We want to ensure that whatever it is that would make the
business bigger for you, we are committed to it.”
“I want
to assure you that if it is in the area of land permits or authorization for
issues that relate to setting up business, we are committed to making sure that
we fast-track and do it as transparent as possible to allow more businesses to
come to Lagos.”
Broader
acknowledged the investment opportunities that abound in the state, adding that
the Group was ready to expand its business horizon and create jobs for the
people.
She
said, “We are incredibly excited and proud to be in this exciting state of
Lagos. Just looking at the burgeoning economy and at the growth in this market
is very exciting and now Walmart operates around the world in 28 countries and
our mission is to lower the cost of living, to help people save and live
better.
“The
passion that you feel right when you land at the airport, there’s an excitement
here. You can feel that this is a state within a country really on the move
forward. There is a smile on the people’s faces; there is eagerness and there’s
a mission that they are on to better themselves and their families. It’s very
exciting.”
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