The federal government have started a business development initiative aimed at attracting about $35 billion annual remittances from Nigerians in Diaspora for direct investments in Nigeria.
The initiative, being
spearheaded by the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the Special Assistant to
the President on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa,
aims at providing a guide to Nigerians in Diaspora who want to invest in
the country by giving them necessary information, technical assistance
and capacity development.
Signing the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to seal the initiative with Dabiri-Erewa in Abuja
yesterday, the Acting Managing Director of the BOI, Mr. Waheed Olagunju,
said Nigerians living abroad remit between 20 to 35 billion dollars
annually for various purposes in the country, including investments.
He said in the past,
Nigerians in Diaspora had been defrauded in their efforts to invest in
Nigeria, adding that the new initiative would serve as a transparent
roadmap to genuine investments in Nigeria.
Mr. Waheed Olagunju said the initiative would
also help to link local entrepreneurs and investors with Nigerians
living abroad for business collaborations and issues relating to imports
and exports.
Dabiri-Erewa said from her
interactions with Nigerians living abroad, they want to invest in
Nigeria but some of them do not know how to go about it.
According to her, the initiative is a
structured approach to investing in the country, proving a platform for
big and small investors to come in and do genuine business in Nigeria.
The Special Assistant to the
President also said the initiative would also help Nigerians in Diaspora
to get funding in Nigeria to set up their businesses.
To drive the initiative, the
BOI has set up a Diaspora desk with a designated portal for easy
communication with Nigerians in Diaspora.
DAILY TRUST
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