The Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development has commenced the move to automate stage certification, monitoring and urban renewal processes through the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency (LASURA) respectively.
The Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, disclosed this on Saturday at the Secretariat, Alausa, after he had received proposals from experts on the initiatives.
According to him, “the Ministry has received proposals to apply Geo-Satellite images and data for monitoring and tracking developments in the built environment, and to collaborate with IdeaMap and other development agencies to employ GIS technology in the identification and mapping of slum settlements in the State, as well as upgrade blighted areas to assist the regeneration efforts of the State Government, in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda of the State government”.
Dr. Salako explained that the proposal for digitisation of critical activities of the Ministry was intended to facilitate real-time monitoring of the built environment for infractions with heavy reliance on technology to detect illegality as well as monitor developments with approvals for stage certification, deploying GIS technology and data for slum upgrading.
While noting that the proposals are preliminary steps towards aligning the activities of the Ministry with international best practices, he opined that the initiative was expected to yield many positive results, including improved ease of doing business rating of Lagos State, elimination of red tape and bottlenecks, discovery of contraventions through change detection and enhancement of revenue generation.
“Overall, this initiative will help increase performance and improve the orderliness and sustainability of the environment by reducing human elements and promoting digital monitoring of physical development in the State”, the Commissioner said.
