Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade Wednesday launched a charm offensive in South Africa , wooing investors at the Africa Investment Forum (AIF), to invest in the state.
A statement issued by Ayade’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Christian Ita, said
Governor Ayade was at the Summit on the invitation of the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumni Adesina, along side the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi, his Kwara and Abia states counterparts, Dr Abdulrasaq Abdulraman and Dr Okezie Ikpeazu respectfully.
While speaking at the cluster session on the opportunities Investors can find in Cross River State, Governor Ayade said there can never be a better time to invest in the state than now when his administration has established an industrial city with all round infrastructure and tax free regime.
“There are lots of opportunities in my state , Cross River, a state that flows with milk and honey, inhabited by very warm people. It is home to the remaining largest Tropical rainforest in West Africa where natural wildlife still exist.
“It is blessed with huge arable land mass that is good for Agriculture, my state has large deposit of gas as the end-point of the oil rich Niger Delta region with international boundaries with Cameroon, Equitorial Guinea and Sào Tome and Principe on both lands and waterways Corridors.
“What’s is more, Cross River is unarguably the toursim destination of Nigeria with Carnival Calabar as the apex annual event in Nigeria every December.
“As a government, we have invested in the Rice Value Chain, seeds and seedlings, Millings as well as Ultra Modern Cocoa factory just to mention but a few of our Agricultural projects of action.
“Come and Invest in Cross River because our land, though in the Niger Delta Region, is very safe and secured
Governor Ayade would on the second day of the three days event lead participants at an investment cluster meeting to a wider panel discussion with global investors to discuss opportunities in an effort to secure the nod of the Africa Development Bank (AFDB) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) to partner Cross River in its agro-industrial sector.
