Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has sealed a partnership deal with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and OCP Africa, targeting four key investment areas.
The governor disclosed this during a meeting with a delegation from NSIA and OCP Africa at the Government House, Uyo, over the weekend.
He reassured that his government is committed to collaborating with experts across various fields to further develop the state, aligning with his campaign promises outlined in the administration’s ‘ARISE Agenda’ blueprint.
While acknowledging that the government’s role isn’t to engage in business but to create a conducive environment for investors and businesses to thrive, he cited the success of Ibom Air as an example of the government facilitating a business-friendly atmosphere.
“We want to work with you on the greenhouses and commercial farming, a special warehouse for the blending plant—we have one in Nsit Ubium, and we can offer that one right now. Since God has given me the privilege to be in the driver’s seat now, I will do everything I can to make this happen, and we have a good team here. The stage is set for the economic development of the state,” he declared.
To advance this collaboration, the governor constituted a team on the government side, comprising the Managing Director of Akwa Ibom Investment Corporation (AKICORP), Pastor Imo Abasi Jacob, Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Offiong Offor, Executive Director of Agriculture Investment, Pastor Godwin Ukwat, and the immediate past Chairman of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the State, Mr. Gabriel Ukpe. They will work alongside selected members of the investors’ team to facilitate the process.
In his remarks, the MD/CEO of NSIA, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the essence of the meeting was to discuss three key areas of investment which he listed to include Ammonia production and Ammonia phosphate plant, Coconut refinery and Green agriculture.
He said, “We came on a visit to the Governor along with our partners called OCP Africa to discuss three areas of investment, first is around Ammonia production and the ammonia phosphate plant.
“The second is around a coconut refinery that is in Akwa Ibom State. NSIA and OCP want to bring their financial and agricultural expertise to bear in order to enhance the utilisation of the coconut refinery and backward integrate the production of coconut in the State.
“The third area of collaboration is that there are greenhouses which OCP has extensive expertise and capital to put those green houses into effective use.
“The fourth is to put in place a blending unit so that there can be a plant for blending fertilisers in Akwa Ibom State.”
Mr. Umar-Sadiq stated that NSIA and OCP has for the last six years jointly run a programme called the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative where Nigeria has imported phosphate fertiliser from OCP, adding that this is an attempt to actually begin to produce the ammonia phosphate locally in Nigeria.
According to him, when executed, the project will ensure significant wealth creation, incredible job opportunities and make the State a hub for industrial activities.