The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has stressed the importance of building human capacity, saying this will help in meeting the demands of the post COVID-19 pandemic.

Sanwo-Olu said this on Monday during the National Council on Finance and Economic Development conference, themed, ‘Public sector finance management in the new normal (post COVID-19).’

He said, “We must rapidly embrace technology as a tool for increasing transparency and accountability, as well as expanding citizens’ access to public services in a manner that is cost-effective and solution oriented.

“Every opportunity to reduce non-essential spending must equally be seized with both hands. And, very importantly, we must invest in building the human capacity required to adapt seamlessly to the social, legal, technological and policy demands of the new normal.

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“Here in Lagos State, we are doing a lot in that regard, from cleaning up our public payroll system, to embracing automation and technology in the management of land and property records and processes, to restructuring loans and bonds to ensure a productive lowering of our debt service costs, and also to exploring innovative ways of mobilising capital to deliver on our vision of a truly 21st century megacity.”

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed, said the conference was held to draw the attention of practitioners in public sector finance management to the challenges and opportunities posed by the pandemic.

“The conference provides a veritable platform for stakeholders in the public and private sector financial management to brainstorm on issues relating to the impact, implications, challenges and opportunities created by the pandemic,” she said.