The Consul-General of Nigeria in New York, Amb. Lot Egopija, has called on Nigerian accountants in U.S. to take advantage of investment opportunities in Nigeria to invest in their home country.
Egopija stated this at the 2021 International Accountants Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) USA District Society, held in Dallas, Texas, in the speech made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The envoy said it would be a great opportunity for them to invest in Nigeria as the country pursued vigorous reform policies and continued to pass new laws that sought to revolutionise the ease of doing business.
Egopija, therefore, urged interested investors to maximise the benefits put in place by the Federal Government to enable friendly investment atmosphere in Nigeria.
“The Trade and Investment Desk of the Consulate-General is a one-stop centre that helps you maximise the benefits of our Visa on Arrival policy, revised list of activities that can benefit from the Pioneer Status Incentive, and the expanded tax holiday incentives, among others.
“With these incentives and indices, the potential for any American investor to succeed in Nigeria is very huge.
“The Consulate-General is committed and determined to build lasting partnerships that will stimulate, sustain and deepen American-Nigerian economic relations,’’ he said.
Egopija urged the organisers “to remember home” and to proffer practicable ways to help restore the economic fortune of their home country.
“I challenge ICAN to proffer innovative ways to not only recover from the gloomy past but to build more resilient and sustainable economic growth and development models for our country.
“I have no doubts in my mind that the gathering of these esteemed professionals here, today, would fashion out practically recommended solutions and timelines for implementations,’’ he said.
The envoy said the Consulate-General, on its part, pledged to make such patriotic recommendations available to relevant government agencies.
According to him, the Nigerian economy is gradually recovering from the negative effects of the pandemic and the incipient recovery in economic activity is projected to take root and broaden among sectors.
The envoy said that the economic activity was projected to take root with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth expected to reach 2.5 per cent this year, according to the latest report from the International Monetary Fund.
Egopija urged the members to continue to abide by the COVID-19 protocols established by the host government.
“We at the Consulate held a remembrance ceremony in June to honour the memory of our nationals who died from COVID-19 within our jurisdiction.
“They remain precious in our hearts. We, therefore, urged those who are yet to receive the vaccines to do so,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the theme of the conference is ‘Building a Sustainable Digital Economy in a Post Pandemic World’. (NAN)