>
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission to use its relevant organs to encourage the other states in the South West to showcase their potentials to foreign investors at the Lagos International Trade Fair slated for November this year.
LCCI Vice President, Mr Sola Oyetayo, made the request when its Board members visited the commission in Ibadan on Tuesday.
He said:“The LCCI shares in the vision of Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) which is focused on making the Southwest region of Nigeria to become the preferred place of choice for people to visit, to live, to work, and to invest in Africa. We are particularly glad that the commission is receiving a strong backing from the government of the region to the extent of working assiduously in enacting a focused development paradigm for mobilising the collective strengths, assets and capabilities lying within the States of Southwest Nigeria, towards achieving sustainable socio-economic growth and development that would result in high standard of living and improved well-being for the people of the Region.
“We are here to inform you that the 2016 Lagos International Trade Fair, the biggest and the best organised trade fair in Nigeria and indeed the West and Central African sub-regions; will hold from Friday, 4th to Sunday, 13th November 2016 with the theme: “Positioning the Nigerian Economy for Diversification and Sustainable Growth.”
“The Fair is a platform to express the Vision of DAWN. It will interest you to know that we have visited all the States backing DAWN Commission and there are indications that they will all be represented at the Fair.
“We, therefore, use this opportunity to call on DAWN to use its relevant organs to encourage the States to come and showcase their potentials to investors all over the world at this time in our nation’s history. We also believe that DAWN on its own can book for Special Day at the Fair where it will have opportunity of enlightening the public about its vision because we believe that International Conference is also a veritable platform for DAWN to discuss issues relating to road map for the economic development of the South West region.”
In his response, the Director General of the commission, Mr Dipo Famakinwa, assured the LCCI team of support adding that the commission has been working with a number of organizations at strategic partners.
He said: “We don’t want this commission to be perceived as government commission because we crisscross the entire cooperative breed. We’ve got to bring everybody on board. Government is just a part of that cooperative breed. It would interest you that we convened a national conversation with the World Bank for the North in Abuja, and for the entire South in Lagos.
“We also operate critical support beyond government, some of which we are getting support for. We now have four of our programmes approved by the DFID. We have an on-going arrangement with the World Bank on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway corridor. We are also engaged in different strategic partnerships. We promote the idea of regionalisation of business beyond the Southwest. We connect with them in the Southsouth, North, because we believe that the competitiveness of Nigeria lies in the regions, sub nationals. It doesn’t lie in Abuja, because Abuja does not have citizens.
“With LCCI, we know with the leverage that you have, it will be very useful for us to take advantage of that. We are absolutely happy with your proposition and will be happy to take advantage of that”.