The Edo State administration is looking for local and foreign investors to help it build a free trade zone.
The projected Free Zone will be built on thousands of hectares of land along the Benin-Sapele road, Governor Godwin Obaseki, said in Lagos during an investment session hosted by the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
He said plans had been made to provide key infrastructure at the site.
“That land has forty megawatts of energy, it borders a river; River Oziomo, which means I can put water in, and we are already in talks with another agency about funding for some of the infrastructure; gas networks, roads, sewage facilities, and so on.
We need to collaborate, and it is ideal to start as soon as possible “he stated
Governor Obaseki, who has expressed concern about the rising expense of life, particularly food, said he was eager to work on food processing.
“For the first time in a long time, I’m frightened because, with rising food prices, anything may happen; agriculture is low-hanging fruit; there’s really no reason in the world why we’re spending so much money importing food; why will we spend N500m buying milk? There are some of us in government who understand how business works; you should interact with us as soon as possible; there is an urgency; we must stop mourning and focus on making things work. There is just one sector, the Nigerian sector; I’m not sure about private or public, because there can be no sector without a country “The Governor stressed this point.
Mrs Bisi Adeyemi, President of the NBCC, welcomed participants to the session and stated that it was part of the Chamber’s main mission to give firsthand knowledge on investment opportunities available across Nigeria to foreign investors.
“Nigeria is one of the most appealing investment destinations in Africa,” she added, “and we feel that this would provide a fantastic opportunity for people to find prospects for partnership.(FRCN)
