Also available
Interview with His Excellency Engr. Segun Oni, Executive Governor of Ekiti State
Seeking Long-Term Investors for Development
CN: Your Excellency, Ekiti State is the smallest state in the federation and yet it has been among the most vocal about attracting investment to the State - with the intention of turning it to an investment haven-, as seen by the second Economic Summit held in Ado-Ekiti this summer. How do you position Ekiti State for economic growth?
Governor Oni: Ekiti State has tremendous potential for a range of sectors. First, we have a very beautiful terrain that has one of the most breath-taking landscapes in the world, which presents a fantastic opportunity for tourism. As for agriculture, because of the fertile soil, there is no aridity and the entire landscape is green throughout the year, so even without irrigation and fertilizer you can grow virtually anything here. Therefore, Ekiti State has tremendous opportunities in the areas of agriculture and agro-processing, as well as tourism, especially eco-tourism. Also in the area of manufacturing because one of the most abundant resources here is granite, which is why we’re looking at the granite and building industry. All in all, we’re most interested in becoming specialists, positioning ourselves as a destination of choice for a few specific areas.
What are some of the incentives to attract investments?
First, we facilitate access to land by providing the land to the investor and thereby guaranteeing access. Secondly, we guarantee infrastructure; whatever infrastructure is required for the investor to take off -like roads for instance- we will provide to keep the investor’s costs of investment low. To a reasonable extent we also guarantee access to market. In fact we create local demand where it is, so that there will be a catchment market for the investor, ensuring the quick profitability of the venture.
In respect to power, we’re hoping that we’ll be able to attract independent power to Ekiti State to ensure that we will have sufficiency in power as quickly as possible. In fact, we already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a company that will deliver power from waste.
Agricultural development is considered a national priority, which has recently been affirmed by the launch of the Federal Government’s National Food Security Programme. Blessed with a variety of natural resources, Ekiti State has the potential to turn agribusiness into a catalyst for growth.
