Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has commended Alaro City, the leading new city in West Africa, for spurring more than USD 1 billion in economic development in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, while on a visit to Alaro City, toured residential and industrial investments that have created thousands of jobs.
Since its launch six years ago, Alaro City has attracted 500 residential investors and 80 companies, contributing to Lagos State’s industrialization and controlled urban expansion.
“On behalf of Lagos State, I commend Alaro City,” Sanwo-Olu said. “It is incredible to witness how vision, backed by resilience and execution, is bringing a city like this to life.” Sanwo-Olu gave credit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who, during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State, created the Lekki Free Zone.
Sanwo-Olu visited Ariel Foods, which produces ready-to-use therapeutic food for malnourished children; Starium, a detergent manufacturer owned by BUA Group; and TY Logistics Park, Nigeria’s first Grade A logistics facility. At Universal One, Lekki Free Zone’s leading housing developer, the governor visited recently completed two- and three-bedroom apartments.
“The Free Zone scheme in Nigeria has been instrumental to our success,” said Frank Mosier, Board Director of Rendeavour, which has developed Alaro City in partnership with Lagos State Government. “We commend the government’s investment in infrastructure like the Lekki Deep Sea Port and the Lekki-Epe Expressway, which link Alaro City to Lagos and the world.”
In just a few years, Alaro City has attracted local and international investors eager to capitalize on Nigeria’s Free Zone’s pro-business policies, Alaro City’s turnkey infrastructure and rapid growth. Alaro City’s international-grade roads, including the Alaro Boulevard, an eight-lane, 60-meter-wide road; a dedicated Independent Power Plant scalable to 120MW; fiber-optic connectivity; and mixed-use master plan make it easy to live and scale businesses in a convenient location.
While visiting Alaro City, Sanwo-Olu confirmed that the government is advancing plans for the Lekki International Airport across the expressway from Alaro City, as well as the Green Line Metro connecting Marina with Lekki Free Zone.
Alaro City is conceived as a 2,000-hectare city development located within the Northwest Quadrant of the Lekki Free Zone. It holds a registered, unencumbered Certificate of Ownership title and includes industrial-grade roads, notably an 8-lane, 60-meter-wide boulevard—one of the largest privately owned roads in Africa. The city also offers 24-hour electricity through its privately owned Independent Power Plant, along with water, drainage, sewage systems, and high-speed fiber optic internet access.
Rendeavour is the largest new city builder in Africa. Backed by American, Norwegian, New Zealand and British investors, Rendeavour’s cities are among the largest construction projects in Africa and hubs for businesses, homes, education and recreation within a infrastructure-ready economic zones.
Current development at Rendeavour is valued at more than $5 billion, with 150 businesses, schools educating more than 6,000 students and 10,000 mixed-income homes occupied or under development.
Rendeavour has created more than 50,000 jobs in the last five years, including the largest call center in East Africa, staffed by 5,000 young Kenyans serving major American customers like United Airlines, JetBlue and Amazon. A further 4,000 call center jobs are confirmed by 2026.