Gov. Abiodun woos foreign investors, says Ogun investment-friendly

Gov. Abiodun woos foreign investors, says Ogun investment-friendly

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has called on foreign investors to make the Special Economic Processing Zone in the state the destination of choice while considering investing in Nigeria.

Abiodun, who spoke as guest on CNBC Africa, at the weekend, on the sidelines of the Intra-African Trade Fair put together by Afreximbank in Cairo, Egypt, said the state had put everything in place to host any business venture.

He said the state has the required infrastructure, including accessibility, access to power, and a youthful and educated population, to make it investor-friendly.

He said: “We are the gateway to Nigeria’s prosperity. We are the industrial capital of Nigeria. By all accounts, we have well over 5,000 industries. We are the number one in non-oil revenue in Nigeria because we have large mineral deposits, particularly limestone.

“That explains why we have Lafarge, Dangote and many other cement factories. The biggest cement factory in Nigeria is in Ogun State.

“Now, why are we here (Cairo)? We are here to attract more investors to our state, particularly as we pride ourselves as having the required infrastructure, be it road, rail, or air. We have a new airport, unarguably one of the best airports in Nigeria.

“Our airport is situated in our Special Economic Processing Zone. The zone is being supported by Afreximbank and being operated and constructed by a private sector player called Arise LLP.

“Today, we want people to know about the zone, to come and establish processing concerns and factories in that zone.”

The governor, who listed some of the companies in the state to include Lafarge, Nestle, Cadbury, May & Baker, Unilever, and Olam flours, among others, said that firms coming to invest in the state would take advantage of its vast agro produce like rubber, cassava, palm oil, cashew, cocoa, cotton, eggs and poultry.

Abiodun also spoke on the significance of the African Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC), which has been established at the special economic processing zone, a development, he said, is bound to make Nigeria get value for her agro-produce.