Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has appealed to foreign investors to come tap the economic potentialities of the state beyond its depleting oil resources.
Diri, who spoke on Tuesday evening at one of the closing sessions of the annual global investors meeting, known as the Dubai Expo 2020 which held at the picturesque Dubai Exhibition Centre in the United Arab Emirates, said Bayelsa was an amazing state with several investment opportunities waiting to be harnessed.
He said the state, which was created in 1996, seeks investors to develop its agricultural potential in areas it had comparative advantage such as in rice, cassava, plantain, sugarcane, oil palm production as well as in fisheries and aquaculture.
Diri invited investors to partner the state to exploit its rich mangrove forests and natural beaches to make it tourists’ haven, this was just as he stressed that Bayelsa’s sprawling coastline, which he refered to as the longest in Nigeria, provides vast opportunities for power generation, ranging from wind to tidal and solar energy, respectively.
”It gives me a special pleasure to introduce to you what I sincerely describe as an opportunity of a lifetime to come invest in amazing Bayelsa State. We know that investment is key to attaining the lofty socio-economic goals that will sustain our youths or alleviate the poverty that still challenges significant numbers of our people.
“We are taking the necessary steps with our Strategic State Development Plan of integrating the private sector in our development and growth agenda as well as ensuring that the structures and policies are competitive and in tandem with international best practice”, he said.
The Bayelsa helmsman emphasised that actions already taken have put the state on a positive trajectory, stating that a recent Ease-of-Doing Business report rated Bayelsa highest in the South-South region as well as being adjudged as one of the safest states to do business in the country.
“Our state is one of the leading producers of oil and gas in Nigeria. There is however much more to Bayelsa than its abundant oil and gas deposits. These include but are not limited to agriculture, where our arable land gives us comparative advantage in the production of rice, cassava, sugarcane, oil palm and plantain.
“In the area of tourism, with our lush mangrove forests and natural beaches, we have humongous unexploited opportunities to make the state a tourists’ paradise.Apart from captive fishery, which has done particularly well in our clime, our extensive coastline is also suitable for commercial fishing and for power generation ranging from wind to tidal and solar energy”, Governor Diri added.
He stated that his administration was continuing with the construction of a deep-sea port, just as he assured investors that his administration would assiduously work to remove any impediments that would constrain their ability and investments,calling, on investors to assist the state in curbing the infrastructure deficit in state, just the governor said he hope that investors will see the value to partner with Bayelsa to expand the scope of its development.
A statement from Governor Diri’s Chief Press Secretary,Mr Daniel Alabrah quoted him as having also held meetings with the UAE Minister of Economy, her Ambassador to Nigeria, as well as representatives of the Saudi Arabia Fund for Development.
The Dubai Expo 2020, Alabrah noted ended on Thursday,March 31, and attracted exhibitors and participants from over 190 countries, including 14 states from Nigeria,adding that other Nigerian governors present were Dr. KayodeFayemi of Ekiti State and Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, RotimiAkeredolu (Ondo), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Udom Emmanuel (AkwaIbom) and Dr. OkezieIkpeazu (Abia),just as he hinted that also in attendance were Governors Solomon Lalong (Plateau), AbubakarSani Bello (Niger) and AbdulRahmanAbdulRazaq of Kwara State. While Sokoto, Yobe, Cross River and Enugu states also participated at the forum.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa