The Lagos State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Summa Group to develop and construct the proposed Lekki-Epe International Airport.
The announcement was made by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Saturday.
He emphasized that the project is a crucial component of his administration’s vision to enhance connectivity in Lagos, drive economic growth, and attract global investments.
“We signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the internationally acclaimed construction company, Summa Group, to develop and construct the much awaited Lekki-Epe International Airport,” the governor said in a statement posted on his social media.
“This groundbreaking initiative is an essential part of our vision to improve connectivity in Lagos, stimulate economic growth, and draw in global investments.
“The Lekki-Epe International Airport will facilitate travel and create new opportunities for businesses and residents throughout the state. Lagos leads, always,” he added.
Summa Group is a diversified private holding company with significant investments in port logistics, engineering, construction, telecommunications, and the oil and gas sectors. Its subsidiaries employ over 10,000 people across nearly 40 regions in Russia and abroad.
In September 2024, the Lagos State Government sought potential collaboration with the Portuguese firm Mota-Engil Consortium for the construction of a new airport.
Sanwo-Olu, who led a delegation on a two-day working visit to Portugal, stated that the project aims to reduce congestion at Murtala Muhammed International Airport and enhance infrastructure along the Lekki-Epe corridor.
The proposed airport, spanning 3,500 hectares, will have the capacity to accommodate 350 aircraft and handle five million passengers annually, with provisions for future expansion.
Mota-Engil Consortium, one of the largest construction firms in Europe, previously built Porto International Airport.
It is worth noting that in January 2024, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, revealed that the government was in discussions with investors to partner in the airport’s construction.
According to Omotoso, the project is expected to be completed within one to two years.
He said, “The airport, which will be built on 3,500 hectares of land, will accommodate 350 aircraft and is expected to take about five million passengers per year.
“The contractors for the project are being identified now as I speak to you and we’re talking to a couple of investors to come and invest in it because it’s not something that the state can fund alone from its balance sheet,” the commissioner told journalists.
“The Lekki-Epe International Airport, which will take pressure off the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, will be built and completed in the life of this administration.
“It is a project that is not going to take time. It is expected to be completed within a year or two, but nothing more than that,” he added.
The Federal Government had approved the construction of the airport in 2022, with work initially scheduled to commence in 2023. However, the plan did not materialize.
Lagos Signs MoU With Summa Group For Construction Of Lekki-Epe Int’l Airport is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
Source: The Whistler
