The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa on Friday, said no fewer than 2,000 participants had so far indicated interest in participating in this year’s annual Nigerian Diaspora Investment Summit.
Dabiri-Erewa noted that the sixth in the series will be held from November 13-15, 2023 in Abuja.
NDIS, a private sector initiative supported by the Nigerian government through NiDCOM, its primary aim is to demonstrate that in the face of stiff competition for Foreign Direct Investment, targeting Nigerians in Diaspora for inward investment is probably the best strategy for a country like Nigeria with over 15m of its citizens gainfully domiciled in Diaspora.
Briefing journalists on the event, NiDCOM Chairman said the target of this administration is to ensure that Diaspora investment in the country outweighs FDI.
Hence, Dabiri-Erewa said this year’s summit aims at attracting Diasporans’ investment in the areas of agri-business, technology, education, healthcare, real estate and infrastructure. Others are creative, sport and entertainment; energy, mining and manufacturing.
She explained that with the current happenings across the globe, Nigeria must rise to take its place as the number one producer of agricultural produce.
The NiDCOM Chairman said, “This year’s summit is particularly special, being the first under the new administration of His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, and will have as its Special Guest of Honour and main keynote Speaker, HE Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“With Heifer International, a nonprofit charity on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way as its Lead Sponsor, this year’s summit promises to be a significant milestone in promoting economic collaboration, harnessing opportunities, and fostering a revamped investment climate for Nigeria,” She stated.
She also revealed that the Diaspora Housing Mortgage Scheme would be launched by the Minister, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, during the summit.
On participation, NiDCOM boss said, “As of press time, this year’s summit already has registered, over 2,000 interested participants, including at least 72 identified Nigerian Diaspora investors, 196 small business owners, 148 representatives of private sector entities and 88 public officials from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies who are expected to attend in person, with a further 1,250 expected to participate virtually.”
The Interim Country Director of Heifer International Nigeria, Lekan Tobe said, “NDIS 2023 aims to strengthen the bonds between Nigeria and its diaspora communities while revealing a dynamic view of investment opportunities and prospects in various sectors, particularly Agriculture, which is our focus sector.
“We feel that our goal of assisting more than two million households to achieve sustainable living income by 2030, through strategic private and public sector partnerships that will support the unlocking of the potential in Nigeria’s agricultural sector to achieve food self-sufficiency is fully aligned with that of the summit, as expressed through the NDIS initiative.”
Since its inception, NDIS has recorded many success stories, both in terms of business connections and social impact. With over 5,000 participants recorded, 900 business links were established and over 200 deals closed.
