The Lagos State Government is seeking potential collaboration with Portuguese firm, Mota-Engil Consortium, for the construction of the proposed Lekki-Epe International Airport.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed this on Wednesday.
Sanwo-Olu, who led a delegation on a two-day working visit to Portugal, noted that the initiative is aimed at alleviating congestion at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport as well as improve infrastructure along the Lekki-Epe corridor.
The proposed airport will be built on 3,500 hectares of land. It will accommodate 350 aircraft and is designed to handle five million passengers per annum with scope for future expansion.
Mota-Engil Consortium is one of the largest construction companies in Europe. It built the Porto International Airport.
“In our drive to attract skilled, trustworthy, and capable foreign investors to support the THEMES+ development agenda, I led a delegation on a two-day working visit to Portugal. Our primary focus was the Mota-Engil Consortium, one of the largest construction companies in Europe,” Sanwo-Olu said in a statement.
“During our visit, we toured the Porto International Airport—Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport—constructed by Mota-Engil, which was truly impressive. We also visited their waste management facilities and real estate operations, which provided us with a wealth of knowledge and insight. Mota-Engil has an impressive track record of delivering large infrastructure projects in Africa and this speaks volumes about their capabilities.
“We are focused on potential collaborations for the proposed Lekki-Epe International Airport. This strategic initiative is aimed at alleviating congestion at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport and improving infrastructure along the Lekki-Epe corridor.”
It would be recalled that in January, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, had announced that the state government was in talks with investors to partner in the construction of the airport.
According to Omotoso, the airport would be completed within a year or two.
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 approved the construction of the airport in 2022, with work slated to commence in 2023. However, this plan did not materialize.