Doha 2022: Obaseki Urges Investors To Invest In Oil Palm, Tech, Others By Showcasing Opportunities In Edo
The Oasis Reporters
March 31, 2022
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (left), with other panelists at the 20th edition of the Doha Forum with the theme, ‘Transforming for A New Era,’ in Qatar.
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, at the just concluded 2022 Doha Forum in Qatar, showcased business and investment opportunities in Edo State, rallying investors to take advantage of the business-friendly environment as well as incentives provided by his administration in the state to invest in new frontiers.
Obaseki, who joined other world leaders and policymakers at the 20th edition of the forum, showcased investment opportunities in different sectors of the state’s economy including agriculture, healthcare, technology and education, among others.
Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic further opened opportunities for investment in the state, Obaseki said, “The pandemic drained the capital of small and medium scale businesses, but this opened an opportunity for investment because most of them began using technology. This, in turn, has boosted tech startups, and young people in that space are now making a living working for companies outside the country.”
The governor said his administration has recorded huge success in opening up the space for investment through pragmatic reforms in the state’s industrial corridors, and in infrastructure, education, healthcare and security.
Obaseki said the state is sustaining investment in large-scale agricultural production and leveraging technology and the innovative potential of its youthful population to ensure food security and drive the state’s post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery plan.
He further noted, “The Ukrainian war, for me, has created a real alarm for our food systems. With the increase in food prices, particularly, wheat, staples and grains, and the rise in energy prices, we as a government have realized that we now have to put a lot of resources and time into agriculture, and large-scale agricultural projects.
“Fortunately, in Edo State, we have started investment in palm oil and have rolled out programmes where we could bring in serious investment into large scale oil palm production as the trigger for large scale investment in agriculture.”
“So, the opportunities that we see in the next three years is to first secure our food supplies by food production and then utilize technology and focus on smaller businesses,” Obaseki added.
The governor further stated: “For us in Edo State, we didn’t suffer much from the infections or mortality rate of the COVID-19 because of the very young population we have in Nigeria and Edo State. The infection wasn’t so high and the mortality wasn’t as bad as we get from malaria or other diseases.
“What really affected us was the disruption of livelihoods and with the lockdowns, a lot of small businesses were seriously affected and the availability of technology as a response sprung up new opportunities for small businesses in particular.
“In terms of our healthcare response, we realized the opportunities for investment in the healthcare space and the participation of the private sector in healthcare delivery. Before now, the bulk of healthcare investment was left to the government, even though the private sector is a key provider of healthcare services.”
