Leader of the Brown Ventures Group, United States, Dr Chris Brooks has stated that the country Nigeria, being one with the most population in African continent, has the human and material resources to project Africa as a hub for opportunities and not a place for exploitation.
Brooks who stated this at the Day 2 of the 5th National Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) in Abuja on Thursday, listed trust, ethics, identity, knowledge-sharing, Afro- ethnic interdependency, as well as, promoting African ideas and products by main political and economic actors, as very vital elements to growing Africa to enviable heights.
With spotlight on Ondo State, the State government is assuring that having the Ondo Seaport, massive bitumen deposits among other major endowments, will serve as a viable, transport alternative for product exports and imports.
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu represented by his Deputy Mr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, expressed his delight at the special focus on Ondo at the NDIS event.
According to the statement e-signed by the Media and Public Relations unit of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Aiyedatiwa said further that this will serve as a platform to showcase what the state has to offer to the global stage.
He said the seaport, if completed will create job opportunities and boost revenue for Ondo state.
Also speaking, the MD, Ondo State Development Investment and Promotion Agency (ONDIPA), Mr. Gbenga Badejo said that Ondo has a lot of business and investment opportunities.
He further stated that asides its unique economic potentials, the state is ranked eighth out of the 36 states, plus the FCT, on ease of doing business in Nigeria, and the most safest state in the Niger Delta region to invest in.
The ONDIPA MD called on all investors home and abroad to invest in the state, for the betterment of the state, Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
In the same vein, Hon Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO NIDCOM, who is the Chief host, said the theme is very apt as this year’s summit focuses on the Diaspora, exploring investment opportunities at the local level in the country hence its direction on Ondo state.
The NIDCOM Boss pointed out that such interest will further shift direction from the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Diaspora Direct Investment (DDI).
She expressed optimism at the Summit’s efforts at raising young generations of entrepreneurs and proffering feasible business solutions in today’s national economy in Nigeria.
Dabiri-Erewa is also fully assured that this year’s event will be nothing short of its promise at promoting investment opportunities within Nigeria to the world.
