Sanwo-Olu Commissions West Africa’s Largest Land Records Archive as Lagos Marks GIS Day 2026
Lagos Delivers Largest Land Records Archive in West Africa as Sanwo-Olu Inspects Geospatial Infrastructure
Lagos State Government has strengthened urban planning and land administration with the delivery of the largest land records archive in West Africa through its electronic Geographic Information System, e-GIS.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu commissioned the Lagos Land Archive on Tuesday during a guided inspection and walkthrough of the State geospatial infrastructure to mark the maiden GIS Day 2026.
The advanced record storage facility was designed to serve as a bank for housing and securing all hardcopy land documents. Construction of the project started last year and has now been completed.
With its completion, Lagos now boasts the largest land information storage facility in West Africa, featuring both hardcopy and electronic data storage systems.
Governor Sanwo-Olu took a guided tour of the facility in the company of members of the State Executive Council and stakeholders in the land management department.
The Governor also visited other departments of the e-GIS Office where newly developed systems and technology were demonstrated to show how spatial information can be turned into practical tools for land administration, physical planning, infrastructure monitoring and decision making in the State.
Departments toured included the Lagos State Physical Planning and Automation department, Survey Information Centre, GIS Centre and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the State.
Speaking during the inspection, Sanwo-Olu said geospatial information is critical to managing a complex and fast-changing city like Lagos.
Lagos is a city of extraordinary scale, complexity and one that undergoes constant change. To understand and manage this territory, plan its infrastructure and respond effectively to the needs of its people, we must be able to understand the State not only through what we see, but through the information that tells us where things are, how they connect and how they change. This is the value of geospatial information, Sanwo-Olu said.
Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr Olajide Babatunde, said GIS Day provided an opportunity for the State to celebrate the progress made in setting up geospatial capabilities and to recognise the institutions driving the innovation.
He noted that Lagos started building its geospatial capability in 2016, launching stages of processes to achieve its current e-GIS capability, adding that the technology has strengthened how spatial information is collected, organised and used across government.
The institutionalisation of LAGIS represents an important step in bringing this work together and establishing a stronger framework for the way Lagos creates, manages and uses spatial information, Babatunde said.
The press release was signed by Gboyega Akosile, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, on October 6, 2026.
