Sunday Okobi
The Edo State Government has strengthened ties with Lagos and Kaduna States in order to collectively identify and maximise investment opportunities with special focus on improving ease of doing business and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the production and service sectors of the state.
In a media chat with journalists, Senior Special Assistant to Edo State Governor on Investment Promotion, Mr. Kelvin Uwaibi, stated that the state government set up the Edo State Investment Promotion Office to interface with the state’s teeming investors and ensure seamless engagement between government and its agencies.
Uwaibi, who heads the Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO), added that there was a renewed drive to attract investment to the state, which has huge potential in transportation and logistics, extractive industries, agriculture, creative industry, among others.
The SA to the governor said ESIPO recently visited two top-ranking investment promotion agencies (IPA) in the country to compare notes and strengthen drive for investments, noting, “We were at Lagos Global, a top-rated IPA with the highest FDI attraction in Nigeria. We also visited KADIPA, which ranks as number one by the World Bank on the Ease of Doing Business index in Nigeria.”
He said the state government was partnering with the Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE), a United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID)-funded programme, to improve the investment climate in the state.
Uwaibi, said that the state was also collaborating with Lagos Global and KADIPA to strengthen ties and stimulate the state’s investment climate for growth.
The special assistant added that there was need for cooperation among IPAs in the country, which would enhance adoption of investment promotion models that have been proven to work and successful, noting that, “Nigeria has what it takes to compete with other countries for FDIs and Edo State is working to be among the top destinations for investors.”
