The leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has declared its firm interest to invest in Kogi State in the areas of agriculture, mining and power.
The Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Justice Isa Muhmmado Dodo, who disclosed this while he paid a courtesy call on the governor of the State, Yahaya Bello at his Abuja residence at the weekend, said the visit was a follow up to the earlier letter sent to the state by Saudi Arabia government to invest in Kogi State.
Governor Bello, commended the Ambassador for being the bearer of good tidings and assured him that the state government will provide the enabling environment for the country’s investment to thrive.
According to him “Kogi has all the resources required for whatever scale of project the Saudi government wish to invest in, and that explains the timely response to the official letter.”
The state commissioner for Finance, Idris Asiru, said the visit by the Ambassador was to reiterate the Saudi government’s interest in doing business in the state and to ensure that the state had all resources and technical support needed to actualise the ventures, explaining that the Saudi government’s letter was responded to six days after it was received.
According to him, “The visit of Ambassador Isa Dodo is most timely and very much welcome, It is further proof that Kogi State is headed in the right direction. To have an ambassador to the most oil rich country in the world visit us shows the big player Kogi has become on the global stage.
“This visit is another in a series that has seen high profile investors heading to take advantage of the safety in the land and favourable policies of the government of Kogi State.
Only last week, Song Dongsheng, President, PowerChina International Group Ltd, also visited the governor to discuss ways to fast track the implementation of the signed 3000MW MoU during the recently held Kogi State Economic and Investment Summit.
“Kogi state government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Coorporation (NNPC) signed an MoU in the area of Promotion and Development of Biofuels Project expected to create two million jobs.”
The commissioner, added that the director general of the Kogi State Bureau of Public Private Partnership, Mr Bob Achanya , announced that his agengy has received 600 business proposals, in the last two years, from investors interested in various sectors of the state’s economy.
Asiru said Lokoja which used to look like a dumpsite before Governor Bello took over, now looks like a proper capital with good road networks, streetlights, traffic lights, an efficient waste management system and adequate security of lives and property.
“The entire state is now free from kidnapping and armed robbery. Our health sector has continued to record one good feat after another and we are opening up the rural areas with roads, so our farmers can reach the markets quickly with their produce. All this effort was aimed at encouraging investors to boost the economy of the state.”
