Foreign Investors Partner Plateau Govt On Agric, ICT

Investors from Brazil, South Africa, India and the United States of America. will soon be in Plateau State to invest in agriculture, health and ICT, Governor Jonah Jang said.

Jang said at a news conference in Jos that the coming of the investors showed that peace had returned to the state.

“The ICT Department in the University of Louisiana is coming to help in developing our ICT sector while Apolo Hospital in India is coming to develop the health sector.

“A Brazilian firm is coming to set up a Cassava Processing Plant while the investor from South Africa will build shopping malls at the burnt Jos Main Market,” he said.

The governor said that the German International Cooperation had also pledged to assist in wooing investors to the state.

He added that Plateau was no more a security risk but a safe haven.

According to him, no nation can do without the private sector which drives the economy and brings about the desired development and growth.

Jang said that Nigerian banks were only trading in money and not deeply involved in encouraging investment in the Nigerian economy.

 “If a bank gives you a loan it will take you ages to repay the loan.

“It’s an abnormal way of banking; until this interest rate gets down to one digit and stays there to develop the private sector will be a mirage in Nigeria,“ he said.

Jang said that the character of our banking sector often distorted the nation’s GDP.

“We are one of the richest countries in the world; there is no doubt about it; yet with our richness, we are so poor.

“This calls for concern and rethink,” he said.