Investors’ Forum: Amosun Showcases Ogun’s Agric Potentials to the World, Promises light rail system
Olorunfemi Ojo
Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun yesterday flagged-off the second edition of the state’s Investors’ Forum with a call on willing investors to harness the agricultural advantage that abound in the state.
Declaring open the two-day forum with the theme, “Agriculture and Urban Development” and which had former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox as the Keynote Speaker at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, Amosun said the state is determined to aggressively promote agriculture which has been identified as a pivot of industrial lives.
He emphasised that the growth of any economy depended largely on its agriculture, pointing out that his administration has started expanding the agro-based processing industry through the exploration of the value chain in the sector as it enters a new frontier.
The governor who noted the huge success the first edition of the forum held in March 2012, said that about 46 major industries with a total investment of 7.3 billion dollars have invested in the state, saying that the positive tremendous response of investors informed the second edition.
”When we came on board, we vigorously set out to implement our five cardinal programme and make Ogun the leading light in the country.
”In our three years in office, about 46 major industries have invested in our state with a total investments of $7.3bn. Who among the multi-nationals or industrial giants is not in Ogun? Almost everybody is here. We are ambitious, we see Ogun as one of the very states in the development of Nigeria and Africa at large, ”Amosun said.
Senator Amosun, who also highlighted the urban renewal drive of his government stated that “We seek a creative, participatory approach from the our investors in achieving our dreams of agricultural development and urban renewal. ”Our approach is not only holistic but futuristic. We are determined to provide housing for majority of people who work in Lagos but live in Ogun.
”We have enough available land for large scale farming and individual investor or organisation should also look into the areas of waste management and urban landscaping to invest,” he added.
Charging the investors to take a full advantage of opportunities that abound in the Gateway State, governor Amosun said, ”we are linking our neighbouring states with our light rail system, assuring that ”together we shall walk into the new frontier of development.”
In his keynote address, Fox said Ogun State has similar traits with Mexico with its abundant agricultural wealth and natural resources, stressing that the use of modern technology helped farmers productivity as well as attract investors.
Transparency and accountability, he stressed are important in achieving economic change, he said, adding that the “on-going wind of transformation in Africa would in no time make it a powerful engine that will move the world economy.”
