UNGA: NEPZA Woos US Investors To Nigeria’s Free Trade Zones

The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has urged the American Business Council, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Africa–US Chamber of Commerce, and other development partners, to explore the unlimited business opportunities provided by the Special Economic Zones across Nigeria.

Managing Director of NEPZA, Dr Olufemi Ogunyemi, made the call in his lecture titled: ‘Free Zones and Industrial Competitiveness: Catalysing Investment Through Regulatory Innovation’, at the sidelines of the ongoing 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday in New York.

According to a statement by the director of communication of NEPZA, Martins Odeh, Ogunyemi stated that the side event, themed “Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria: A New Era of Economic Opportunities,” was a vital space to match policy action with private capital.

The NEPZA boss explained that Nigeria’s Free Zones were not merely parcels of land, but practical business enclaves for industrial upgrading and platforms for credible, regionally scalable investments.

“We are, therefore, asking U.S. investors and institutions to undertake site visits to Lagos Free Zone, Lekki Free Zone, Abuja Industrial Park Free Zone (AIPFZ), and other Nigerian zones to see infrastructure and anchor tenants operating.

“We are seeking partnership for anchor projects that would transform into Small and Medium Enterprises’ factory shells, creating jobs and promoting local procurement content.

“We also invite investors to participate in co-financing shared infrastructure that enables hundreds of tenant investments and to support the scaling up of production for exports,’’ Dr Ogunyemi said.

Dr. Ogunyemi reaffirmed the readiness of NEPZA and its partners to support due diligence, provide regulatory clarity, and facilitate the needed structure for investors who were ready to move from dialogue to signed commitments.

The NEPZA Chief Executive Officer further explained that the country’s foremost Free Trade Zones regulator had dutifully applied some of the world’s best mechanisms to raise the industrial competitiveness of the zones.

“So far, the scheme has continually raised competitiveness through four linked mechanisms which include: World-class Infrastructure, Regulatory Predictability, Cluster Effects, and Market Access for our operators and investors,’’ he said.

Dr. Ogunyemi reiterated that the Federal Government of Nigeria, through NEPZA, would continue to prioritise private capital building infrastructure currently rooted in both the Private and Public Partnership Programmes (PPP) zones, adding that these were the principal engines of the rapid transformation of the scheme in Nigeria.

He also encouraged the prospective investors to consider the vast size of the Nigerian market as a platform for both regional growth and international exports.

In a related development, Dr. Ogunyemi thanked the Presidency for including NEPZA in the UNGA’s delegation, expressing delight to the leadership of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) for allowing the Authority to utilise the platform to attract US investors to the free zones.