Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Leading investment figures have called for greater collaboration among stakeholders to grow the economy of Rivers State.
The calls were made yesterday, at the opening of the 2023 Correspondents’ Week/Award ceremonies of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), held in Port Harcourt.
The week-long programmes is being hosted in partnership with the Mayor of Housing, Mr. My-Ace China, with the theme of the programme “Rivers State and the Quest for an Ideal Investment Climate: the Role of the Media.”
The Deputy President of the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dr Emi Membere-Otaji, who lamented the collapse of industries in Port Harcourt over the years, said immediate and intentional steps must be taken to revive the economy of Rivers State.
He said if individual investors were left to provide by themselves all the infrastructure needed to operate, they would be stretched thin and would not be able to compete.
He, therefore, called on the government to provide the needed infrastructure like roads, electricity, telecommunications and investible funds to support the manufacturing sector.
Otaji, who was the keynote speaker, regretted that Rivers State was the oil and gas capital of Nigeria, yet oil and gas businesses and major business decisions were taken in Lagos.
He noted that while it was cheaper for entrepreneurs to import due to the cost of production, the economy would continue to suffer due to capital flight and job losses from lack of manufacturing in-country.
“There must be deliberate infrastructure around the 23 LGAs for people living there to curb urban-rural migration, just like in the US, where every state has numerous cities. So infrastructural development should be state-wide.
“There must be intentional incentives for businesses to thrive, because the SMEs are crying. Lagos and Ogun are deliberately attracting investments into the state with so many incentives. They are giving businesses all the support to thrive.”
Also speaking, Mr. My-Ace China, who is engaged in housing development in the new Port Harcourt hub, said the negative narrative sold to the world about Port Harcourt and the Niger Delta must change to attract investments to the city and the State in general.
He said it was not acceptable that people that make their money in Rivers State would not stay back in the state and spend the money they make in the state because of the negative media perception of the state.
The Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr Amaechi Okonkwo, said the theme of the programme was chosen because the media as agenda setters have a role to play in the environment they operate in.
He appealed to politicians in the state to have the interest, wellbeing and prosperity of the state in mind, “because even politics and politicking do not prosper in a troubled and insecure environment.”
