Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has said that the metropolis needed international partnership and not financial aid and grants for it to develop its infrastructure.

Governor Fashola stated this at a banquet organised for the German President, Horst Koehler, who was on a working visit to the State as part of his tour of the country.

Koehler, who was received at the presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja by Governor Fashola, was accompanied on the trip by his wife, Eva, legislators and aides.

The Governor said: "There are enormous opportunities in Lagos from our challenges. And what we need is partnership and not aid. Our challenges are also opportunities for prosperity and the investment in infrastructure development is the 'in-thing' which we expect our foreign partners to buy into."

He identified the provision of clean and potable water for the 18 million people of the State, transportation, roads, job opportunities and waste management of 10 000 tonnes per day as part of the challenges.

In his response, the German President commended Governor Fashola whom he described as a hardworking governor for showing an understanding for the challenges facing the State as a megacity.