Lagos, the commercial hub in Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria, will build a passenger and cargo airport in the north-east of the city close to a major oil refinery and a new deep sea port.
The state obtained the central government’s approval to build the facility on Tuesday, said Gboyega Akosile, chief press secretary to the governor.
The airport will serve the Lekki industrial zone, one of the fastest-growing areas in the city with a mix of commercial and residential estates. It will also reduce pressure on the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the busiest in the West African country.
The airport infrastructure, which will be on 3 500 ha, will cost an estimated $900-million in the first phase, the government said.
The master plan and aeronautical designs for the airport are already in place for work to begin in 2023. The project will be executed with a private sector partner, according to an emailed statement.
“Some private consortia have already expressed their interests in developing the airport, but the Lagos state government is yet to decide on which investors to partner with,” said state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.