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Ondo State governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has urged British investors to pat into the state’s abundant earthy and economical resources, reaffirming his administration’s readiness to deepen improvement ties with the United Kingdom.
The politician made the telephone connected Wednesday portion receiving the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Jonny Baxter, and his squad astatine the Governor’s Office successful Akure.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, who described Ondo arsenic a onshore of immense opportunities, told the delegation that the authorities remained Nigeria’s largest cocoa producer, contributing astir 40 per cent of the country’s full output.
The politician noted that Ondo is endowed with bitumen, coal, gold, state and different mineral resources, alongside expansive arable onshore suitable for agriculture.
“This is the onshore of cocoa,” helium said. “It was from cocoa that the precocious Chief Obafemi Awolowo developed the Western Region, gathering Africa’s archetypal tv station, the Cocoa House and respective different infrastructures. Ondo is inactive starring successful cocoa accumulation today.”
Earlier, welcoming the visiting team, which included the Deputy Political Commissioner, Janet Baxter; Senior Political Adviser, Wale Adebadu; Private Sector Adviser for Finance and Investment, Ms Tevi Hake Demadi; and Digital Communication Lead, Ms Ifeoluwa Hatuludu, the politician said the state’s colonisation stands astatine 5.3 million, with a landmass of 15,500 quadrate kilometres and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that is astir ₦5.1 trillion, ranking seventh among Nigeria’s 36 states.
Highlighting the state’s strategical advantages, helium noted that Ondo has the longest coastline successful Nigeria, which serves arsenic a large gateway to planetary trade, adding that plans were underway to make a heavy seaport to boost exports and unlock the state’s bluish system potential.
The politician emphasised that Nigeria’s narration with the United Kingdom had evolved from assemblage and donor dependency into a concern centred connected concern and organization collaboration.
Governor Aiyedatiwa commended President Bola Tinubu’s economical reforms, noting that portion the policies initially caused hardship, they had begun to stabilise the economy, enabling states similar Ondo to execute amended financially.
He besides revealed that his medication had established a one-stop concern bureau to assistance caller investors from documentation to afloat operations, assuring that the authorities had importantly improved its information architecture to enactment concern stability.
The politician mentioned caller projects, including a modular refinery and an upcoming chemic plant, some backed by investors moving with the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA).
Responding, the British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter, said his sojourn was aimed astatine exploring areas of collaboration and concern betwixt the United Kingdom and Ondo State.
Baxter, who expressed delight astatine the state’s improvement potential, said the UK’s engagement with Nigeria had shifted from donor assistance to nonstop concern partnerships that beforehand shared prosperity.
“Our narration with Nigeria is present a concern of equals,” Baxter said. “For instance, the British International Investment (BII) has invested implicit $40 cardinal successful JohnVents present successful Ondo to rehabilitate cocoa plantations. We are focused connected investments that volition payment some countries.”
He added that BII besides provides backing to Nigerian banks to assistance trim involvement rates and grow recognition entree for tiny and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“The purpose is to marque superior much affordable and accessible for Nigerian businesses. If we tin trim the outgo of capital, much Nigerian institutions volition turn stronger and thrust economical development,” helium said.
Baxter noted that the UK authorities was anxious to recognize Ondo’s public-private concern models and place areas wherever British institutions could complement the state’s economical agenda.
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