There is an English proverb that says “time is the soul of business” and this is true for the town of Epe.
Although Lagos is the commercial hub of Nigeria, Epe which is a small Boundary town on the outskirts of Lagos have barely benefited exclusively
from this, comically times have changed for Epe, There is now an ever growing list of both Federal and state approved projects coming to Epe and its Environs.
It is just like Albert Einstein said, “All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual”. in this case, the individual is Epe,a lot of opportunities have been handed to Epe these past few years like the Free trade zone, the approved Lekki-Epe International Airport and Lekki deep sea port, this has brought value to Epe.
In this article we are going to discuss about these upcoming projects.
The world bank defines free trade zones as “small, fenced-in, duty-free areas, offering warehousing, storage, and distribution facilities for trade,transhipment, and re-export operations”.
The Lekki Free Zone, created in 2006, is a modern free zone managed in accordance with international best practices. The zone’s 16,500 hectares are divided into four quadrants and managed by various operators, benefiting from Lagos State’s position as the premier distribution hub in West Africa
The Zone is fast attracting local and foreign investors. The largest oil refinery in Africa, a fertiliser plant, petrochemical plant and a sub-sea gas pipeline project is under construction by African richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and valued at $17 billion. The largest Deep Sea Port in West Africa is also under construction opening up access for export to West Africa and beyond.
THE LEKKI DEEP SEA PORT
This is the Largest Seaport in Nigeria and one of the biggest in West Africa. Although it is operational, it is partly under construction.
The Port is financed by the private sector investors and a consortium of banks who have funded the project with $1.5 billion as of March 2021. The seaport is to occupy up to 90 hectares of land.It is expected to be completed in 2023 and operations to commence in the first half.
The Project known as THE GAME CHANGER PROJECT could produce at least 200,000 jobs.
The port is located in the heart of the Lekki free trade zone in Eputu, Ibeju-Lekki, which is a mere 30 minutes drive to Epe.
THE LEKKI-EPE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
The Lekki International Airport was approved by the Federal Government on October 22nd 2022 and construction is expected to begin in 2023. The airport is designed for a capacity of 5 million passengers annually. Imagine the large influx of people that would be passing through Epe.
THE DANGOTE REFINERY
The Dangote oil refinery which is also located in the Lekki free Trade Zone is expected to have a capacity to process about 650,000 barrels per day of crude oil when it is in full Operation. This will make it the largest single- train Refinery in the World.
In January 2023, the completion of the refinery’s power plant was announced.When fully operational it will provide 135,000 permanent jobs in the region.
ALARO CITY
The Alaro city which is the first of its kind in Nigeria. It is one of the projects that
welcome you to Epe. the Mixed-use city which has areas for warehouses, schools, Health care facilities Hotels and Offices. It is located in the North West Quadrant of the Lekki free trade zone.
CASHEW PROCESSING PLANT BY JULIUS BERGER
The cashew processing plant is set to be Nigeria’s, and perhaps West Africa’s most ultra-modern cashew processing plant. The State-of-the-Art Cashew processing plant is another effort by the Julius Berger Company to diversify into the Agricultural Industry.
According to the Chairman of Julius Berger’s Board of Directors, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, who presented the keynote address at the event, marked a pivotal moment in the company’s history, “as we are ready to succeed and move in the right direction tremendously for Nigeria, our employees and shareholders.”
EPE FILM CITY BY AFA
The Lagos State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Del-York Group for the construction of the first film and media city in the state. The film city is set to be constructed in Epe.
Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, said the initiative was to make the youths agents of change in the creative industry and break new grounds to enable them to become self-reliant. This means that a piece of Nollywood is coming to Epe.
LOGISTICS HUB
Intending to enhance food sufficiency in Lagos, The governor of Lagos State,
BabaJide Sanwo-olu launched the audacious Five year(2021-2025) Agricultural and Food Systems road map.
When completed, the central food and logistics hub is expected to create direct wealth for more than five million traders in the agricultural value chain, while
guaranteeing uninterrupted food supplies to more than 10 million Lagosians, at least, 90 days, in a period of scarcity.
The hub will have storage facilities for more than 1,500 trucks that will daily service the needs of thousands of operators within the food value chain throughout the year, while large commercial transactions would be processed in the facility.
Epe has a lot of Commercial facilities and institutionS already existing like
- Epe Resort and Spa
- Agricultural Training Institute, Araga, Epe.
- Centre for Rural Development’s (CERUD) Complex and Botanical Garden, Igbodu, Epe.
- Eko Tourist Beach Resort, Akodo, Ibeju-Lekki.
- Lekki Free Trade Zone Complex.
- Lekki Rest House: Confinement Home of Nigeria’s first Opposition Leader.
- Murtala Mohammed Botanical Garden, Epe.
- Recreation Centre, Epe, Marina.
- Relics of Brazilian Architecture and Atlantic Slave Trade, Lekki Town.
- Youth Rehabilitation and Development Centre, Ita-Oko Island, Epe.
- YabaTech Epe Campus
Even with all these major projects coming to Epe, The town still flourishes in export of fish, cassava (manioc), corn (maize), green vegetables, coconuts, cocoa, palm produce, rubber, and firewood. Special leaves useful in preserving kola nuts are trucked to Ijebu-Ode, Shagamu, and the other main kola-shipping towns.
“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.” Calvin Coolidge.
