Continental calling: From Lagos City project to African Cities Alliance; the visionary Lagos urban d

In a not-too distant future, the story of the modern Lagos city would be told and whoever history ascribes the honour to, his oration wouldn’t be complete without giving credit to the contribution of a number of Lagosians who played a part in developing the masterplan.

One of these, would be Yemi Cardoso, appointed Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget of Lagos State in 1999, the state had the privilege of bringing in a seasoned corporate player who knew his onions. Mr. Cardoso led the committee of Nigerians whose responsibility was to pull Lagos from the brink becoming a slum and establishing the foundation of a modern city. Mr. Cardoso amongst other contributions to the state hosted the first “7 African Sustainable Cities Program in Nigeria and helped set the ball rolling for what was to become the mega city master plan.

Mr. Yemi Cardoso was then appointed Chairman at the World Bank Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Project (LMDGP) in 2005. He helped developed a plan of action and strategy to achieve Lagos’ urbanization and the challenges that could arise with it.

In 2015, the seasoned public administrator, Mr. Yemi Cardoso, alongside other notable Africans who have distinguished themselves in their various fields was inducted into Africa’s New Cities planning committee; the Cities Alliance, in partnership with the African Centre for Cities, to generate compelling analysis and arguments to better address the key challenges and gaps of urban development in Africa.

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