Lagos will have €50 million to spend in 2017 following the approval of the borough’s budget for next year.
The financial plan, involving €3.5 million more than last year, has several goals – to establish Lagos as a “cultural and historic town”; to promote local tourism; to invest in education – through renovations at schools and providing younger students with free schoolbooks – and to making Lagos a more sustainable town, both “environmentally and structurally”.
The budget will also centre on the development of the ‘Rota da Escravatura’ project, which highlights the town’s “sad” but pivotal role in the development of slavery in Europe. Just last June, the town’s slavery museum reopened after undergoing a three-year facelift (click here).
“2017 will be challenging and decisive in terms of reinforcing our strategy, which has been based on transparency, thoroughness and maintaining the financial stability of the borough,” said mayoress Maria Joaquina Matos in a statement.
She added that the council will also strengthen workings with parish councils to guarantee they continue ensuring the “wellbeing of their populations”.
This is the last budget to be approved by the socialist-led administration before the local elections scheduled for the autumn of 2017.
