Businessday March 22, 2011 Eko Atlantic city achieves milestone – reclaims 2.5m square metres of land By Daniel Obi

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has described the reclamation of 2.5 million square metres of land from the Atlantic in Lagos as a momentous milestone and a dream come true.

Speaking at the site recently, he said the achievement was a restoration of geographical territory of Lagos, revealing that the area would be a new city in the coast. "The Eko Atlantic development is a dynamic new city rising from the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria. The city, which will be divided into six districts, will offer multiple investment and development opportunities through its strategic long-term plan to reclaim nine million square metres of land from the ocean. The new land will provide space for the Business District, which will become the financial gateway for Africa," he said.

David Frame, Managing Director of South Energyx Nigeria Limited, the developers of the new city, said the vision is to build a self-contained city that provides the quality of infrastructure and services required to make Lagos the financial capital of Africa. South Energyx Nigeria Limited is a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group.

The Phase One Business District comprises 2.5 million square metres of new land that will be ready by April 2011. It is protected by a sea wall known as the Great Wall of Lagos that currently measures over two kilometres. Construction is currently on target and is expected to meet the scheduled completion date of 2015, Frame said.