Envoy, govt. market Nigeria's investment potential in U.S.

Nigeria's Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. (Mrs.) Uzoma Emenike, has reassured potential U.S. investors of the rich investment opportunities in Nigeria.

Emenike gave the assurance at the "Presidential Dialogue: U.S.-Nigeria Business and Investment Forum Business Roundtable with President Muhammadu Buhari" on Friday in Washington, D.C.

Supreme reports The event was held on the sidelines of the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.

Emenike encouraged serious investors to ask existing foreign companies about the viability of the Nigerian economy.

"But more importantly, they should check the balance sheet of such foreign companies operating in Nigeria to appreciate the profitability of the Nigerian market."

"Nigeria, therefore, invites U.S. investors to show more interest in the non-oil sector of the Nigerian economy."

"They should show interest by investing in key and emerging areas such as infrastructure, transportation, telecommunication, special agro-processing zones, ICT, and even the service sectors," she said.

According to her, Nigeria has a vibrant economic sector that makes it the largest economy in Africa and the largest investment destination on the African continent.

"With an entrepreneurial youth population, a huge market size, a stable democratic political landscape, and diverse natural resources spaced across the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, Nigeria is indeed an attractive investment destination," she said.

Emenike said that the federal government recognized the contribution of the private sector in providing the needed job opportunities as well as driving economic growth.

She said the Nigerian government had aggressively pursued infrastructural development, agricultural investment, and the diversification of the various sectors of the economy beyond the oil and gas sector.

Also speaking at a panel session on "Nigeria: A Compelling Investment Haven," Gov. Abdul AbdulRazaq of Kwara and his counterpart, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, spoke about the investment opportunities in their states.

"Bauchi is opened for business in non-oil sector, especially in agriculture and of course its value chain is sustainable for investment. We are part and parcel of the Federal Government initiatives,'' he said.

Supreme reports that other panelists including Farouk Gumel, Vice-Chairman Africa Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group and John Coumantaros, Chairman, Flour Mills of Nigeria, among others, also shared their experiences on gains in investing in Nigeria.