Abike Dabiri-Erewa
By Victory Oghene
Come November 13-15, 2023, all roads will lead to Abuja, the federal capital territory for the sixth edition of the annual Nigerian Diaspora Investment Summit.
This year’s event will be unique in all ramifications with over 2000 participants expected to attend
This much was disclosed by the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa on Friday while speaking with Journalists.
She added that NDIS, a private sector initiative supported by the Nigerian government through NiDCOM, primary aim is to demonstrate that in the face of stiff competition for Foreign Direct Investment, targeting Nigerians in Diaspora for inward investment is probably the best strategy for a country like Nigeria with over 15m of its citizens gainfully domiciled in Diaspora.
Throwing more light on the event, Dabiri-Erewa said “The target of this administration is to ensure that Diaspora investment in the country outweighs FDI”.
She stated that this year’s summit aims at attracting Diasporans’ investment in the areas of agri-business, technology, education, healthcare, real estate and infrastructure. Others are creative, sport and entertainment; energy, mining and manufacturing.
The NIDCOM boss noted that with the current happenings across the globe, Nigeria must rise to take its place as the number one producer of agricultural produce.
She said “This year’s summit is particularly special, being the first under the new administration of His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, and will have as its Special Guest of Honour and main keynote Speaker, HE Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”
“With Heifer International, a nonprofit charity on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way as its Lead Sponsor, this year’s summit promises to be a significant milestone in promoting economic collaboration, harnessing opportunities, and fostering a revamped investment climate for Nigeria,” Dabiri-Erewa said
She explained that the Diaspora Housing Mortgage Scheme would be launched by the Minister, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, during the summit.
“As of press time, this year’s summit already has registered, over 2,000 interested participants, including at least 72 identified Nigerian Diaspora investors, 196 small business owners, 148 representatives of private sector entities and 88 public officials from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies who are expected to attend in person, with a further 1,250 expected to participate virtually.” Dabiri-Erewa sounded with a note of finality.
