The Edo State Government has strengthened ties with Lagos and Kaduna states to collectively identify and maximize investment offerings with special focus on improving ease of doing and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the production and service sectors of the state.
Senior Special Assistant to Edo State Governor on Investment Promotion, Mr. Kelvin Uwaibi, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists, said 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), said there is a renewed drive to attract investment to Edo, which has huge potential in transportation and logistics, extractive industries, agriculture, creative industry, among others. He 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 is partnering with the Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE) a United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID)-funded program to improve the investment climate in the state. Uwaibi said that the state is collaborating with Lagos Global and KADIPA to strengthen ties and stimulate the state’s investment climate for growth. He added that there was a 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 “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.”