The Nigeria Export Processing Zones (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 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday in New York.
According to a statement by the director of communication in NEPZA, Martins Odeh, Ogunyemi said at 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.
