The Lagos State Government, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, signed a partnership agreement with the United States-based Project Management Institute (PMI) to enhance project management efficiency in the state.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu supervised the signing held at the State House in Marina, where the Project Implementation and Monitoring Unit (PIMU) of the state government signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the American partner to enhance quality project management practices across 45 project executing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state.

Sanwo-Olu said the partnership was timely, as the state reviewed its ongoing projects and considered implementing strategies to reduce risk and enhance efficiency towards delivery.

Sanwo-Olu said long-term project planning had been difficult for many governments in the contemporary economic order, given the vulnerability to global resources disruption and high cost of materials.

He said the state had reorganised project implementing priorities by channelling resources on projects that would improve quality of life for Lagos residents.

The governor said: “We are at a critical time when leaders are finding it challenging to implement and activate projects that will improve the quality of life for their citizens.

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“It is a challenge now, given the global disruption we have seen over the last few years and its impact on economic growth. This is making it difficult to even plan for long-term projects. But decisions have to be made in this difficult terrain.

“This partnership with PMI comes at the right time to validate our strategies, help us channel resources to where they are most needed and ensure that the outcome of our investment is delivered in a timely manner.

“This will help our project-executing MDAs raise efficiency and further enhance their knowledge on project performance and execution. I believe the partnership will scale up professional competence and capability in the way projects are handled in public sector.”

On his part, the PMI Managing Director for Sub Saharan Africa subsidiary, George Asamani, said the MoU would bring about cutting-edge skills, knowledge sharing and training to help Lagos State deliver on projects with quality assurance.

Asamani added that the institute would be boosting local expertise and training managers to implement for maximum efficiency.

The Star