Globacom Backs Nigeria Summit

Globacom has thrown its weight behind The Economist’s Nigeria Summit beginning in Abuja on Wednesday October 19, 2011.

The Nigeria Summit is a forward‐looking conference which brings the country’s political leaders together with international investors and business leaders to discuss developmental challenges.

The discussions will be led by editors from The Economist Group, expert speakers and representatives of government.

The speakers will spend two days to critically examine government’s reform programme, shed light on the realities of operating a business and identify emerging investment opportunities.

According to Mr. Folu Aderibigbe, the Head of Glo’s Business Enterprise Solutions, Globacom is supporting this year’s summit because the management of the company believes that Nigeria has the potentials to play on the same level with developed nations.

“We simply need to set a direction and then consistently stay on course for a decade or two and then the nation will emerge out of decay to set the pace in the 21st century,” he said.

This year’s event will feature panelists like Nigeria’s United States-based Kase Lawal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CAMAC Group; Chimamanda Adichie, award-winning Nigerian writer; Ali Faramawy, Vice President, Microsoft International and President, Middle East and Africa; and Sophie Okonedo, Grammy Award-winning actress.

Other confirmed panelists are Aliko Dangote, Executive Chairman and Founder, Dangote Group; Stephane Paquier, President, Africa, The Dow Chemical Company; Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive, Oando Plc. and Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Trade and Investments, Federal Republic of Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan is also expected to address the Summit.

According to the organisers of the conference, the operating environment for business in Nigeria remains challenging, with wide disparities across states in terms of the ease of paying taxes, registering property, enforcing contracts, obtaining permits or setting up a business, issues which multinational and local investors need to see remedied by federal and state governments.

A panel of state governors, ministers, international and local CEOs will also get to grips with the realities of doing business in today’s Nigeria.

This year’s event will include a spotlight on Nigeria’s film industry with stakeholders such as Lancelot Oduwa, award-winning Nollywood director; Jamie Meltzer, Director, ‘Welcome to Nollywood’; Amaka Igwe, film director and CEO, Amaka Igwe Studios; Madhu Mantena, Bollywood film director and Abubakar Sadiq Muhammed, Minister of Culture and Tourism, speaking.