LADOL, the high value industrial village and free zone, built around a specialised port facility on an island at the point of entry into Lagos harbour, has announced the composition of its pioneer Technical Advisory Board: The Rt Hon Lord Mark Malloch‐Brown KCMG, Professor Fidelis Oditah QC and Mr Tanimu Yakubu.

Thanks to the new USD 300 million Floating Production Offtake and Storage (FPSO) Vessel fabrication and integration facility in LADOL all eyes are now on Nigeria. The successful development of this facility is set to make Nigeria the leading country on the continent for offshore oil and gas fabrication and engineering.

The specific expertise of the advisory board will now provide the additional strategic support the LADOL executive team needs as the Free Zone enters its next phase of development; expanding its ecosystem to offer more advanced technological support and critical services not previously available in West Africa, as well as fostering collaboration with other infrastructure developers, service providers and operators in the region to help drive job creation and economic growth throughout West Africa together.

Dr Amy Jadesimi, LADOL Managing Director, said: “It is a great privilege to have Lord Malloch‐Brown, Professor Fidelis Oditah and Mr Tanimu Yakubu join LADOL’s advisory board. Their combined experience will no doubt be an incredible asset to the Free Zone and help shape its future as one of the world’s leading industrial hubs. Each member offers a unique perspective and understanding of Nigeria and shares our aim of making it the hub for West Africa.”

One of Time Magazine’s ‘100 most influential people in the world’, Lord Malloch-Brown is a former Deputy Secretary-General in the United Nations and has served in the British Cabinet and Foreign Office. Deeply involved in international affairs, he now sits in the House of Lords and is active both in business and in the non‐profit world.

Fidelis Oditah QC is a member of the Queen’s Council since 2003, practicing across the English and Nigeria bars. In Nigeria, Oditah focuses on energy, projects and cases relating to commercial law and has advised and acted for the Federal Government of Nigeria in a number of matters.

Mr Tanimu Yakubu, non-executive director of Oando PLC, has held a number of key positions in both the private and public sectors in Nigeria, the most notable being as Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, during which he also served as a member of the National Economic Management team from 2007 – 2010.

The $500 million LADOL free zone, is a newly developed industrial village, to which access is strictly controlled. The infrastructure in the Zone is amongst the most robust and secure in West Africa, making it an ideal environment for industrial activities that could not be done in West Africa before – from offshore oil and gas mega-fabrication and vessel integration, to pipe coating, engineering and agricultural processing.

Board member biographies can be found here.

I am delighted to announce that on behalf of LADOL Mr Jide Jadesimi has received the Award of the “Outstanding Free Zone Integrated Hub Capacity Building Firm for Deep Water Oil & Gas Exploration, Manufacturing and Engineering Services” as adjudged by

Watch the full interview below.

While the collapse in oil prices might seem like unequivocally bad news for Nigeria’s energy industry, there is one Lagos-based executive who sees only opportunity. The Managing Director of LADOL is hoping that renewed pressure on majors to cut costs will spur them to take advantage of a logistics base she has developed to serve a projected boom in deepwater oil production.

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The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi has commended the management of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL) for its huge contributions to the Nigerian maritime Industry and the Nigerian economy.

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On 5th October LADOL invited members of the United States Consulate delegation to tour the free zone’s facilities as construction of the yard nears completion, ahead of schedule. After introductions to the executive team and an overview of LADOL’s services and amenities, Mr Thomas Hines, Political-Economic Section Chief, Mr James Plasman, Economic Officer, and Mrs Mayowa Obilade, Economics Specialist, explored the site. This included the newly operational Floating Production Storage and Offloading (“FPSO”) fabrication facility, which is expected to become West Africa’s first FPSO vessel in the next twelve months.

• WINNER: Sub-Saharan African regional free zones
• WINNER: Large Tenants award for Africa
• HIGHLY COMMENDED as African Free Zone of the year
• COMMENDED for self-sufficiency
• COMMENDED for infrastructure improvements

LADOL, the high value industrial village and Free Zone, built around a specialised port on an island at the point of entry into Lagos harbour, has been awarded Winner of the Sub-Saharan African regional free zones award and Winner of the Large Tenants award for Africa, in fDi magazine’s Global Free Zones of the Year 2015. LADOL was also Highly Commended as African Free Zone of the year.

Winning the Large Tenants award, LADOL Free Zone was praised for increasing some 37.5% capacity between 2013 and 2014. Due to the high specification infrastructure, round the clock operations and focus on delivering transparent reliable service to the Deep Offshore oil and gas market, LADOL has been able to halve the cost of logistics support in Nigeria. This 50% cost saving comes despite the fact that the facilities and equipment are all brand new.
Two awards given to LADOL, which are ‘Commendation for self-sufficiency’, and ‘Commendation for infrastructure improvements’, are being given for the first time and reflect improvements such as the ongoing development of its new 24 MW power plant, due to come online in late 2017.

fDi’s Global Free Zones of the Year celebrates those zones that are best in class and which are reinvesting, expanding or upgrading.

Dr Amy Jadesimi, LADOL Managing Director, said: “The fDi awards review free zones from across the world, and for LADOL to receive these awards and be recognised in this way is a testament to the great work that the local team has done in putting our free zone on par with the world’s best. LADOL is proud to be one of many significant infrastructure projects in the region that is changing the dynamic of the Nigerian economy, and facilitating business domestically and attracting business from international markets.”

The $500 million LADOL Free Zone, is a newly developed village, to which access is strictly controlled. The infrastructure in the Zone is amongst the most robust and secure in West Africa, making it an ideal environment for industrial activities that could not be done in West Africa before – from offshore oil and gas mega-fabrication and vessel integration, to pipe coating, engineering and agricultural processing.

LADOL is the only Free Zone that truly runs 24 hours a day 7 days a week, ensuring that tenants can maximise their efficiency and output, in a safe controlled environment.

Samsung Heavy Industries recently started fabrication in the Zone and it will soon be joined by a range of other fabrication and engineering companies.

A growing number of international and local companies are now setting up their own facilities in LADOL’s Free Zone, and benefiting from hassle free, low cost access to the largest market in Africa (Nigeria) and the entire West African region. Part of LADOL’s success – as highlighted by the fDi awards – is due to a combination of committed long-term private local investors, who built the infrastructure and facilities, and the investment and partnerships with international companies who want to be part of the world’s next big growth story in West Africa.