The Lagos state government in Nigeria plans to establish the Lagos Aquaculture Center of Excellence (LACE), a NGN10 billion ($25.8 million) project to be located on 35 hectares in Igbonla, Epe under a public-private partnership arrangement.

The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said that the project is designed to boost the growth and development of the aquaculture industry in the state, through the direct production of 2,000 tons of fish annually, provision of inputs to fish farmers under the Lagos Nucleus Farms (LANS) scheme and serve as off-taker for fish farm clusters in the State.

“The experience of the past few months during the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic has further reinforced the urgent need to expand the state’s food production base to meet such a spontaneous increase in demand for food in the future,” Sanwo-Olu said.