Key foreign investors, who met at various meetings with the Nigerian Government delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York during the week, have expressed interest in scaling up investment in Nigeria.
At an Investors Roundtable held under the auspices of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), the investors said Nigeria remained the best investment destination in Africa with enormous natural and human resources.
According to the Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, Akpandem James, they expressed the belief that Nigeria’s current government had continued to show a commitment to creating a conducive business environment in the country.
Udo Udoma, who gave the opening remarks at the event, appreciated the interest the investors were showing in Nigeria and thanked them for their willingness to spread the good news to others about the opportunities Nigeria offered to investors.
Senator Udoma said Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, had promised the people that he would restore peace in the troubled zones of the country, fight corruption and grow the economy.
“The Buhari administration has worked hard to ensure that those election promises are fulfilled,” he said.
According to him, “The present government inherited a challenged economy with very weak fundamentals, but has worked hard towards not only getting the economy out of recession, but placing it on a path of sustained inclusive growth through a series of policy initiatives and deliberate actions.”
Diligent implementation of the initiatives, he said, had resulted in the economy emerging from recession within a short time and beginning to grow again.
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He emphasised the fact that Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (the ERGP) is anchored on partnership with the private sector with the Government helping to create the enabling environment.
According to him, that is why the government is focused on improving the country’s infrastructure and creating an environment with improvements in the ease of doing business, to encourage and attract local and global investors.
He said government was also focused on social development by increasing investments in education and health so as to improve the quality of the country’s education and health facilities.
He emphasised the importance of having a well educated, healthy and productive nation.
The minister said there was no cause for investors to worry about next year’s general elections, just as he assured that there would be no slow-down in the implementation of government programmes and policies in the period leading up to the elections.
He explained that the ERGP was a medium term economic blueprint which would run through 2020.
