Govt Lauds Private Sector Role At Onne Port

The Federal Government has pledged to support the private sector in its bid to ensure Nigeria’s economic growth under the transformation agenda to reposition the country among the leading twenty economies of the world by the year 2020.

Specifically, government said it was awaiting more business investors to urgently take advantage by setting up more industries at the oil and gas free trade zone in Onne Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State.

Government said the value of investment currently at the zone was $6 billion, with over 150 investors operating within the zone.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan disclosed this at the opening ceremony of a two-day 2012 Oil and Gas Trade and Investment Forum in Onne, Rivers State, few days ago that he was confident in the ingenuity and capability of investors to invest more at the FTZ, because of the strategic nature of the Onne Port.

Jonathan, who was represented at the occasion by Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, said there was urgent need to make more investors know the investment opportunities that are available in the Zone.

According to him, government cannot underscore the realization of the Vision 20:20:20 agenda alone, adding that the private sector remains the driver toward the actualization of the country’s transformation agenda.

He said that it was pertinent to assure  investors, particularly in the maritime, oil and gas sectors that government remains committed to the implementation of the economic reforms, which are capable of changing the dynamics of the Nigerian economy.

“As part of our efforts, government has come up with policies, plans and programmes geared towards the reduction or elimination of bottlenecks and other encumbrances to business and investment through harmonization of Nigeria trade procedures and documentations.”

The President said these include, setting up of Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Public Sector Reforms through Pubic Private Sector Partnership, and the empowerment of the Private Sector through Nigeria Investment Promotion Act of 1995.

—Esther Komolafe