Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia has charged investors to take advantage of the agrarian nature of the state to create jobs and services that would boost the state’s economy.
The governor stated this while declaring open the maiden edition of the Benue Local Investors Forum organized by Benue Investment and Property Management Company (BIPC) held at the government house in Makurdi.
The governor who was represented by his Deputy, Barr. Dr. Sam Ode, said “as key players in any economy, investors are stakeholders whose contributions shape the economic fortunes of the state or nation”.
He challenged BIPC to use the forum to awaken the consciousness of the people especially youths to embrace entrepreneurship by which they can acquire wealth and contribute their quota to the development of the state.
Governor Alia commended the forum’s goals as being “progressive and in sync with government’s desire for Benue people to help our economy to grow”, stressing that “it is when we invest and harvest from it that we can stop capital flight”.
The governor therefore assured of his administration’s willingness to encourage and support local investors to grow and play at the national levels and beyond.
The Director General, Nigeria Office for Trade Negotiation, Ambassador Yonov Agah who was also chairman of the occasion, identified investment as the key thing in the world today.
“All over the world, investment is driven by production and production must be driven by trade”, he stated.
Ambassador Agah enjoined the leadership of the state to think outside the box as the state has great opportunities to move forward economically, and called on those instigating crisis in the land not to sacrifice the future of the state.
He also urged BIPC not to depend on government for funding but seeks ways to explore more investment opportunities and assured that he will help build a roadmap to increase the state’s participation in trade and investment.
In a keynote address, the Economic Adviser to Katsina State Governor, Mr. Khalil Khalil, emphasized the need for the right leadership for any economic boost and insisted that a partnership between the government and private sector was imperative to achieve the desired economic growth in Benue State.
He described BIPC’s initiative for hosting the investment forum as the starting point in the journey to Benue economic prosperity, advising it to give serious attention to investment promotion.
In a remark, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BIPC, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha said, the pioneering platform was designed to stimulate investment opportunities in the state.
Dr. Asemakaha called on stakeholders to share insights and explore avenues for collaborative growth and expressed optimism that BIPC will embark on a journey to unlock the vast potential in the Benue.
