Africa’s Largest Food Hub, Psychiatric Hospital To Be Launched Next Year — Sanwo-Olu

Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced that the psychiatric hospital and Lagos State Food Security Systems and Central Logistics Hub, situated at Epe area of Lagos, would be launched and ready for use next year 2025.

According to the Governor, the Food Security Systems and Logistics Park would be ready for use within the second quarter of 2025, while the Psychiatric Hospital would be completed by the fourth quarter of next year.

Governor Sanwo-Olu made this known on Saturday during a Working Visit to the ongoing projects at Ketu-Ereyun, Epe, Lagos.

The hub, which is the largest of its kind in Sub-Sahara Africa, aimed at helping the State Government to control the prices of food, promote food production and preservation, control food prices as well as ensuring food security in the State.

This Project is the bedrock of the 5-Year Agricultural and Food Systems Road Map (2021-2025), launched by Mr Governor in April 2021 and should be completed by the 2nd quarter of 2025.

According to the Governor, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 caused his administration global disruption in the chain of logistics of food in the state, hence the need to address similar challenges and to protect the State from re-occurrence of “food insecurity.”

Sanwo-Olu said, “Covid that happened in 2020 taught us a lesson because it was during that time we saw a global disruption in the chain of logistics of food. You remember at that time, if you don’t have anything in your house, you continue to pray to God.

“Even after we saw global disruption, that is when we came up with a plan that Lagos should be a very large-scale food logistic hub to protect itself from food insecurity. We did mention at that time that food is security, and it is becoming an important and even a normal threat to life’s security. We can see that indeed that move that we made three years ago is on the right course.

“The largest food logistics hub in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa is here. It is on over 230 hectares of land, about five thousand square meters. It is going to be the largest cold and dry chain storage,” Sanwo-Olu emphasised.

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The Governor while expressing delight at the level of work done so far on the 500-bed facility Psychiatric Hospital facilities, said the hospital, when completed would go a long way in promoting mental healthcare delivery in the country.

He said, “The psychiatric hospital is the first of its type; it is a Lagos State Mental Health Institute, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre, Ketu Ejinrin.

“It just borders the food and logistics hub, but this would be the largest psychiatric rehabilitation centre in the entire sub-Saharan Africa. Phase one of it is the 500-bed health facility.

“You can see that all of the structures of phase one are out, which will include the 500-bed accommodation in different sizes. It will include consultation rooms, dormitories and dining rooms, a kitchen, and a residence for health facility workers.

“It is a massive health institute sitting on about 25 hectares of land. We believe this kind of health institute is equally important. We have seen enough health challenges in mental health issues, and we need to make a classic case and we need to make it first class. They come in for psychotherapy and rehabilitation and get well in a serene environment.”

Sanwo-Olu also said that the phase two of the project, when completed will expand patient accommodations and provide additional rehabilitation services.

“Phase two of it will be additional accommodation for patients who need services here and who need rehabilitation centres.

“We are targeting this time next year to also complete this project. This project is about 50 per cent done, and we believe in the next 12 months we can bring it to completion”, Governor Sanwo-Olu emphasised.