More than 1,423 key players in the industrial, agricultural and technological sectors of the Nigerian economy will gather in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Tuesday and Wednesday for the fourth edition of the Ogun State Investors’ Forum 2018.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to declare the Forum open with the theme ‘Consolidating The Gains Accelerating Growth’.
The event, which will take place at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, will focus on agriculture, industry and technology.
Governor Ibikunle Amosun, convener of the Forum, will play host to all the eminent guests, including Felipe Calderon, former president of Mexico; Mo Gawdat Salem, former Chief Business Officer, Google X; Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance; and Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment.
Ogun, one of West Africa’s fastest growing investment destinations, has attracted 304 industries in the last seven years.
Out of this figure, 148 had each invested between $2 million and $2 billion, while the remaining 156 had also invested $50 million each.
From a N730 million monthly internally generated revenue (IGR) inherited by the Amosun administration on May 29, 2011, the figure has been grown to N7 billion.
Also, in 2011, the state was ranked 35th in ease of doing business, but the story later changed positively in February 2014 when it became number four in the country.
It is the state with a vast economic hub with great potentials for the Nigerian market that would be fully tapped through partnerships with investors and stakeholders.
A World Bank report on Ease of Doing Business and another survey by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) showed that 75 per cent of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that came to Nigeria between 2016 and 2017 were domiciled in Ogun.
All these have been made possible by the Amosun administration’s success in the creation of conducive environment for business to thrive in addition to creating the necessary infrastructure.
