The recent investment drive of the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to Egypt and Ethiopia, to draw more foreign investments to the State has started to yield results.

 This is because representatives of Arise Integrated Industrial Platform, one of the multilateral business firms he met while the tour lasted, have visited the State to explore areas of collaboration on investment.              

Speaking in Abeokuta, the State capital, at a follow-up meeting with representatives of the State government,  the Company’s General Manager, Urban and Infrastructure Design and Senior Manager, Urban Planning and Project Finance, Messer Anand Koppu and Animesh Ahaskar, respectively disclosed that their establishment has a long history of successful investment in Togo, Benin Republic, Gabon, and Ivory Coast, but has decided to invest in Nigeria for the first time and considered Ogun as the best location following their initial meeting with the Governor.       

The representatives of the Pan-African conglomerate further disclosed that it would be exploring areas such as pharmaceutical, agro-processing, packaging materials, automobile, renewable energy, bitumen and petrochemicals, among others for its partnership with the State.        

    Responding on behalf of the State government, Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, maintained that the Prince Dapo Abiodun- led administration is poised to maximize the State’s potential and natural resources and would continue to seek and partner genuine investors to achieve this.        

         He reiterated the determination of the government to further develop economic policies that would translate to prosperity of the State and its people, emphasising that the setting up of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) office, Business Environment Council, Ogun Invest, the ongoing construction of the agro-cargo airport, development of economic clusters and special agro-processing zones, among others are some of the initiatives embarked upon to consolidate the position of the State as the investors’ destination of choice in the country.

In his remark, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Shuaib Salisu, underscored the importance of PPP as a catalyst to the development of the State, assured the investors of an enabling environment for their investments.        

 In attendance at the meeting were the Commissioners for Industry, Trade and Investment, Agriculture and Forestry, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe, Dr. Adeola Odedina and Hon. Tunji Akinosi respectively, the Director-General, Public-Private Partnership office, Mr. Dapo Oduwole, and Deputy Director-General, OgunInvest, Mrs. Fehintola Odulaja.