The Lagos State Government, through the Office of Sustainable Development Goals and Investment, has begun to chart a course towards aligning the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals towards making Lagos a desirable investment destination.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on SDGs and Investment, Mrs Solape Hammond made the disclosure at a three-day strategy retreat organised by the Office for its staff at Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island.

She explained that the retreat was aimed at fine-tuning the strategic direction of the Office since its name was changed from the Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment to the Office of Sustainable Development Goals and Investment.

While maintaining that the retreat would also review the mandate, vision, mission as well as core values of the Office, Hammond applauded the vision of the Lagos State Government in creating a dedicated SDG champion at the cabinet-level, stating that Lagos is the only State with such model in the country.

She pointed out that the vision of the Office is all-encompassing but noted the need to fine-tune the mission to capture the expanded scope of the deliverables in terms of the SDG mandate.

The Special Adviser further affirmed that “as a matter of interest, the State will be hosting the 2020 Global Citizen Festival, a 10-hour live broadcast of performances from celebrities from all over the world, aimed at ensuring that Nigeria is not left behind in meeting the target of achieving the SDGs by 2030”.

The retreat reviewed the performance and achievements of the Office of SDGs and Investment and also presented an opportunity to discuss issues on unlocking investment partnerships and optimising investment opportunities in the State.