Gov Peter Mbah of Enugu State and the Chairperson, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, have urged Igbos in diaspora to invest in their various states in South-East to transform Igboland.
The duo made the call during a two-day workshop themed “Sensitisation and Advocacy Programme For Promoting Diaspora Investment Potentials in South-East Nigeria” held in Enugu on Wednesday.
The event, hosted by the Enugu State Government, has participants from Abia, Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi in attendance.
Dabiri-Erewa encouraged Igbos in diaspora to think home in their investment plans, stating that there were enormous investment opportunities in Enugu State as well as the entire South East region.
She advocated for the establishment of diaspora desk across the 17 Local Government Areas of Enugu state as well as creating data portal where Igbos in diaspora can register.
“Nigeria in diaspora represents untapped human capital and we need to tap from it. Southeast states can establish diaspora fund run and manage by those in diaspora for development purposes.
He lauded Mbah for his development stride, describing Igbos as “special people”, saying that over $90 billion was remitted to Nigeria in the last five years by Nigerians living in diaspora.
Speaking, Mbah represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, urged Igbos in diaspora to give back home and invest not only financially but also socially to drive sustainable development of the region.
He said southeast was renowned for its entrepreneurial thrive, industrious spirit and rich history of migration and commitment to community development of Igboland.
According to him, the significant combination of Ndigbo in the diaspora in the development of the zone presents tremendous opportunities for fostering mutual trust and development across the five states of the southeast.
“So this workshop should serve as a powerful call to Ndigbo in diaspora to begin to think about investing at home,” Mbah said.
The governor explained that the workshop also represented the important milestone in enhancing diaspora engagement.
“Today, we come together to explore the untapped potential of diaspora participation in the southeast.
“It marked a pivotal way of unlocking vast opportunities for economic growth and development in our region towards a prosperous future.
“Here in Enugu, we recognise diaspora and key stakeholders in our Development agenda to transform Gross Domestic Product of the state from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.
“It is achievable through contribution of diaspora complementing our government vision of fostering inclusive economic growth and improving the quality of lives our people.
“It would be recalled that I launched Enugu Diaspora Engagement and Investment Unit in Sept. 2023 during economic growth and investment roundtable to support our ministry for trade and industrialization,” Mbah added.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Diaspora Matters, Mrs Olangwa Ezekwu noted that South-East had a great role to play in channeling its resources home especially as many looked forward to returning home yearly.
She disclosed that Mbah had made Enugu State an “Investor Friendly State”, saying there was no better time than now to invest more at home. (NAN)
