All is set for 14 governors drawn from both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to arrive in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE) for the annual investment meeting slated for March 29, 2022. The governors are seeking foreign direct investments of $15 billion from businesses and other organizations from the UAE.
The occasion will witness a high-powered meeting to be anchored on behalf of the Nigerian governors by UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation headed by Sheik Abdallah and assisted by Walid of AIM.
This is a product of a month-long interaction between the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) John Kayode Fayemi and Ambassador Abdallah who gave his commitment to ensuring a direct interface between Nigerian governors and business conglomerates in the UAE.
Beginning from Tuesday, AIM global leaders’ debate, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu will have a business-to-government meeting with SALIC at the investment hub in Dubai. Ikpeazu will also meet with Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Markaz, Elite Agro, and Sharaf Group Investment. He is also expected to grace the AIM startup adware’s to acquire a comparative advantage with startup companies in Abia State.
Similarly, Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri who has been in Dubai since last Saturday will meet with El Sewedy Electric. In another business-to-government meeting also facilitated by the Dubai Foreign Ministry, Diri will hold talks with AMEA Power. He will also be at the humanitarian summit among others. Governor Diri will finalize his activities by attending the closing ceremony and the Dubai Declaration of the World Investment Forum.
Also expected to commence a high-level business-to government-investment quest is Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello who is seeking $184 million investment Into the state by first meeting AIM’s high-level networking group. He is concentrating on presenting his state potential as an agricultural-industrial processing zone where it is expected that huge sums will be plowed into agriculture infrastructure.
Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal is also expected to arrive in Dubai tomorrow where he is expected to discuss issues relating to the Sokoto State cement industry, livestock production, housing construction, and upliftment of construction of the state-of-the-art medical facility, equipment and ICT. This improvement in manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and health will attract $388 million into Sokoto State.
The chairman of NGF, Fayemi, who has been at the forefront of the arrangement and worked side-by-side with the foreign ministry in Dubai and the AIM management team, will arrive in Dubai tomorrow to join the Global Leaders’ Debate and grand opening ceremony. He will be meeting with international business conglomerates in the national marine and dredging industry and will use the opportunity to meet with the Saudi Fund for Development.
Nine other governors will be pitching their states in two presentations each before selecting international business personalities who have indicated willingness to bring foreign direct investment into Nigeria within the shortest possible time. These activities are being coordinated by a team from the NGF led by the executive director, research, and strategy, Dr. Abdulateef Shittu.
In promoting the business sojourn, the director-general of the NGF, Asishana Okauru, said “I am convinced that this trio will be of immense benefits to the various states and Nigeria as a whole because it is packed with content that will eventually translate to economic growth.”
By Jonathan Nda- Isaiah,
Leadership Newspaper