From Abel Leonard, Lafia
Lafia, Nasarawa State capital, on Wednesday, 11 May 22, hosted world-class business leaders and hordes of investors, during the state’s inaugural investment summit.
Governor Abdullahi Sule said government has put some measures in place to prepare ground for the take-off of an investment hub. They included the Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency Bill 2020 and the Nasarawa State Mortgage and Foreclosure Bill:
“Without these laws, it would be very difficult to be able to invite a lot of investors, who are serious about investment, who understand what investment is, who understands what it takes for resolutions of all kinds of issues that come as a result of investment.”
He said the agency would facilitate the establishment of a one-stop
shop for all kinds of investments, where government would assist investors towards realising their vision:
“Once you are there, they will do the run around for you. And you tell them what type of investment it is, registration of your company, understanding your taxes, what kind of benefits you will have, what kind of wavers that are going to be available to you. What does it take for you to acquire land, what does it take to get your documentations, what is there to get your C of O.
“For housing, it is going to fast track the process of creating all the legal issues on mortgages and the issue of timely resolution of all kinds of disputes that are likely to happen.”
The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, called for effective collaboration between the federal and the state governments to ensure strict enforcement of regulations to check illegal mining in the state:
“The Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel must develop a sustainable plan to ensure that all mining activities are monitored to reap the benefits of the available mineral resources in the state.
“The range of available minerals in Nasarawa is quite impressive. The state has mineral deposits such as coal, clay, zinc, stones, silica, gravel and limestone. That is why the state is described as the Home of Solid Minerals. But there is a long way to go, especially with controlling illegal mining.
“I expect that the state will soon become a leading producer of other crops like cassava which all together can join into national agro processing hub.”
In his “Building for the African Continent: Lessons from the Ghanaian Economy,” paper, former President of Ghana, John Mahama, stressed the need for the expansion of infrastructure in the areas of transport, energy, water, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), as well as education and health, to improve the economy of the state and the country at large.
He said Ghana under his administration invested in infrastructural development, which brought about an expansion in job opportunities and social amenities in the cities. He called on the state to prioritise capital investments rather than consumption and create jobs, boost private sector participation, as well as revitalise old infrastructure for economic prosperity.
President, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said Nasarawa has all the requirements that guarantee the attainment of the goals of the summit. He said Dangote Group was fully committed in partnering the state to continue to invest for the good of people of state.
MD, NMRFC, Kehinde Ogundimu, described the event as a milestone not only for Nasarawa State but the country as a whole, adding that the signing of the two bills into law is the laying of a solid foundation for investments and greater things that will come to the state.
“There is a direct correlation between legal framework and amount of investments you have in a state. Now that we have the legal framework, we will not relent in attracting investment to Nasarawa State.”
MD/CEO of NASIDA, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said: “This is the promise of Abdullahi Sule as enshrined in the Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy (NEDS), to create a private sector led and competitive economy for our state.
“We have been very deliberate about stimulating our economy, building our people’s productive capacities, and creating wealth and jobs for them.
“This is the basis of the Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy (NEDS) (2019 – 2023), which is a testament to our collective commitment to implement a practicable economic transformation strategy for the State, as promised during our campaign. It is founded on a vision to sustain accelerated growth of the Nasarawa economy driven by the private sector and translating this to a clear improvement in citizens’ lives and the achievement of other key development outcomes.”