Chief Investment Officer of Ovid Capita, a United Kingdom- based private equity and investment company, Ekos Akpokabayen, has announced the appointment of a Danish businessman, Hanson Niels, to promote investment in Africa.
Akpokabayen, who made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Johannesburg, South Africa, said the company’s focus was to drive investment into Africa.
Ovid Capita believes that Africa needs capital and not aid,’’ he said.
According to him, the company’s focus on sustainable development was in line with the United Nations goal and impact investing.
“We have acquired 3,900 hectares of land in Osolu area of Lagos State. We want to build an Eco-City with a resort, power plant, community centre and a hospital in the area.
“This will take time and we are dredging 100 hectares. We plan to finish 600 hectares of land in five years,’’ he said.
Akpokabayen, a South Africa-based businessman, said Niels would be in charge of finance and investment in the Nordic region.
“Niels is a humanitarian concerned with development in Nigeria and Africa. Our company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Anthony Anakwue and I met him in Denmark. His dream is to help Africa grow.
“The message is to say that his company has world outreach and understands the progress some countries have made and the difficulties in others and how to get different individuals in different parts of the world to work together for a common good where we all can learn from each other,’’ he said.
Akpokabayen said that the company believed that capital lies in most European countries.
“And while we want this capital in Africa, we also know that they can learn from us as well. They need our culture and understanding so that we can have synergy.
For those who want to invest in the company, it also gives them the confidence that it has a lot of diversity,’’ Akpokabayen said.