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President Bola Tinubu has approved a federal delegation to attend the inaugural Nigeria Diaspora Investment Economic Conference in Toronto, Canada, scheduled for August 12–15.
The team will be led by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Five state governors will join the delegation: Babagana Zulum (Borno), Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).
Federal ministers expected to participate include Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Industry, Trade and Investment Minister Jumoke Oduwole, and Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Officials from key agencies will also attend to bolster Nigeria’s pitch to diaspora investors. Agencies listed in the announcement by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission include the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, and the National Information Technology Development Agency.
The conference, running under the theme “Invest Nigeria, Thrive Abroad”, aims to connect Nigerian leaders and institutions with diaspora investors to attract capital and partnerships.
The statement said Canadian officials expected at the conference include President of the Treasury Board of Canada, Shafqat Ali; Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, Graham McGregor; Ontario lawmaker Deepak Anand; Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown; Councillor Rod Power; and Ontario Minister of Women and Economic Opportunities, Charmaine Williams.
Quoting the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the statement said, “The calibre of officials attending the conference demonstrates President Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation between Nigeria and Canada through trade, investment and diaspora engagement.”
It further quoted Dabiri-Erewa as saying the event “is more than a conference” and is designed as “an outcome-driven investment platform” that will connect international investors with “investment-ready” opportunities across key sectors of Nigeria’s economy while strengthening bilateral economic relations between the two countries.
According to the statement, the conference is being organised by NiDCOM in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa, the Canadian High Commission in Abuja and other stakeholders.
It said discussions will focus on agriculture, technology, manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, healthcare and the digital economy.
PUNCH Online reports that the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Economic Conference is the first investment-focused forum organised by the Federal Government through NiDCOM to promote economic partnerships between Nigeria and its diaspora community.
According to the World Bank, Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest recipients of diaspora remittances, with annual inflows amounting to billions of dollars.
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