-By Yange Ikyaa
Cosgrove Investment Limited, a leading real estate development firm in Nigeria, has been named as the “Best Residential Innovation and Real Estate Developer of the year 2019.”
The award was presented to the company during the 2019 Smart Cities Forum and Sustainable Smart Cities awards, which held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The CEO of Cosgrove, who was represented at the summit by the company’s Head of Business Development and Strategy, Miss Chioma Ugwu, thanked the Smart Cities Forum for the recognition and assured that Cosgrove will intensify its research and development in order to produce improved homes.
Other awardees include the Permanent Secretary, Arc. Sunny Echono; Chairman, Smart City Resorts, Sir Ademola Aladekomo; CEO, Legend by Sururban, Mr. Bruce Ayonote; Mr. Bimbo Abioye, CEO Fintrak Software.
Also on the list were Dr. Tunde Coker of Huawei Technologies Limited; CEO, Rack Centre, Ejike Nwosu; CEO Lumos Laboratories, Dr. Yele Okeremi; CEO, Precise Financial Systems, Mr. Aliyu Aliyu; CEO, Bilaard Reality and the ESV Rowland Abonta, who is Managing Partner, Rowland Abonta and Company.
Speaking during the summit, Vice president Yemi Osinbajo called on real estate industry leaders to harness the potentials of the sector to stimulate economic growth, while creating smart city solutions in the country.
He also assured that the government is anxious and committed to collaborating with Nigeria’s smart city leaders to solve the economic challenges facing the country.
In his remarks, the CEO of Afritex, Mr. Sola Owuru, commended Cosgrove’s penchant for innovations in housing technology, stressing that “Cosgrove’s contributions in Research and Development in the Smart City Space and building homes that are uncommon and sustainably ready for tomorrow’s technology is an exceptional achievement that is important to the continued growth of the Smart Cities initiative in Nigeria and Africa at large.”
Speaking further, VP Osinbajo identified the toll of natural disasters on African urban dwellers as one of the possible consequences of failing to embrace advancement in technology, noting that innovation and smartness of cities have become necessary because cities are threatened by the disadvantages of failing to embrace innovative technology.
“For this reason, governments in the world are forced to rely on ICT and smartness of cities to help protect public safety,” he said.
Osinbajo, who was represented at the event by the Minister of Communication Technology, Barr. Adebayo Shittu, noted that “Nigeria believes that safety and security of infrastructure are integral parts of economic sustainability.”
“It will improve security indexes and public safety as well as enhance traffic safety while also improving the social image of public safety agencies, and improvement in international image of the country,” he added.
While saying that ICT and its accompanying innovations will guarantee economic development, the Vice President expressed delight in the focus for this year’s Smart Cities Forum, which is “Innovation in Sustainable Smart Cities and Connected Homes,” calling it a blueprint of urban sustainability for Nigeria.
Nigeria has one the fastest growing ICT and telecom industries in the world, and Osinbajo used the occasion to in calling the awardees to encourage bringing connectivity to rural areas.
While acknowledging that that it was a commercially challenging task, he also assured that innovative solutions are in sight with several projects underway to be supported by the government.
“Let me reiterate that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to build a better future for Nigeria, using innovation in science and technology. Already, the Fed executive Council has approved an ICT Roadmap which execution will reach 2020, a Science and Technology Roadmaps which began in 2017 and will last till 2030.”
The Vice President commended the Ministry of Communications for their “relentless effort annually at setting agenda for the ICT sector on the best possible ways of transforming Nigeria’s ICT landscape for better and more sustainable urban life experience for all.”