Experts drawn from the local, continental and international infrastructural industry will converge in Lagos from Wednesday to discuss sustainability in infrastructural for national development in a 3-days Series which will run through to Friday March 20 18 to mark the 7th edition of the International Conference on Infrastructure and Development in Africa (ICIDA).
The theme for this year's edition of the ICIDA is: "The Complexity of Infrastructure System: What are We Fixing" and it seeks to bring the town and gown together all in a quest to look at the infrastructural situations and deficits in the African country generally and also proffer solutions towards ameliorating the challenges in Africa using through comparative analysis with modern innovations with emphasis on economic, social and environmental sustainability.
The event is in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana and Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria where the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu will function as the host.
Keynote speakers for the event include; Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, Hon. Minister for Power, Works & Housing; Aare Afe Babalola
President/Founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) while the Lead speakers include - Engr. Nurudeen Rafindadi, Managing Director, Federal Road Maintenance Agency, Abuja FCT; Mr U.G. Muhammed, Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Maitama District, Abuja; Mr Adekunle Oyinloye, Managing Director, The Infrastructure Bank;Engr. Chidi Izuwah, Director General Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Abuja FCT; Engr. (Prof) Abiodun Dabiri, Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA); Engr. (Prof) M.S. Haruna, Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, National Agency for Science & Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI); Engr. (Prof) Jeremiah Oludele Ojediran, Vice Chancellor, Bells University of Technology, Oya; Dr Paul Chan Lead Project Research Group, University of Manchester, United Kingdom and Prof. Joshua Ayarkwar Provost, College of Art & Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Speaking with the Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC) of ICIDA,
Nurudeen Bashorun, he disclosed that this year is unique with the presence of professionals, practitioners and academic all under the same roof with the main aim of dissecting infrastructural problems at the same time, profound sustainable solutions to them.
"We are bringing these people to partner with us to see what could be done to improve the situation of things generally. The conference will also bring about the recent research developments so that we will see the effect of this on infrastructural development unlike where you just have policymakers and government functionaries coming to give you policy papers; this is a departure from that," Bashorun noted.
Reacting to the team's decision to have the event in LASPOTECH, Bashorun explained that the conference in the same vein seeks to position the polytechnic globally because LASPOTECH is the only polytechnic in ICIDA, adding that it will help expose the polytechnic and bring about development in terms of educational development.
"For this year's edition, no fewer than 1,000 participants are expected to grace the conference and over 70 papers have been reviewed and found suitable for the presentation that will impact on the African continents," Bashorun added.
To register, individuals and representatives of organisations are also encouraged to register via icidaafrica.org
At the end of the event, a resource document will be produced, forwarded and circulated for concerted efforts at achieving the discussed objectives for National development as far as Infrastructural sustainability is concerned.
