February 15, (THEWILL) – The Special Adviser to the Governor of Benue State on International Investments, Alex Addingi, said all is set to host investors at the 2024 Benue International Investment Summit (BIIS), in Makurdi, the state capital.
An inaugural meeting of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), 2024 BIIS, was held earlier this week, with the Deputy Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ode, as Chairman.
Fielding questions from journalists on Wednesday, in Makurdi, Addingi, who is the Vice Chairman of the event’s Local Organising Committee (LOC), said the inaugural BIIS 2024 aims to project “Benue State as a North Central Nigeria strategic hub for economic development to investors.”
“Essentially, the ground-breaking event is expected to bring together local and international investment community, industry experts, and investors to explore innovative ideas, foster collaborations, and catalyse mutually beneficial engagements and discussions,” he said.
According to him, the overarching goal is to set in motion the collaborative partnerships and possibly the creation of hubs in Benue State.
“BIIS extends beyond mere discussions; it is a call to action. It envisions the birth of an ‘economic city (ies)’ that will not only attract foreign direct investment but also nurture a vibrant ecosystem for local businesses. It seeks to capitalise on the rich and comparatively advantageous potentials of Benue State, leveraging her unique resources, skilled workforce, and generally untapped opportunities.
“BIIS draws inspiration from the seven pillars of the Governor Hyacinth Alia led Government of Benue State, “to build an economy based on functional education, employment generation, agricultural development and growth with a focus on food production and processing in a secured environment that ensures food security, wealth creation and poverty reduction.
“My office is in touch with scores of investors that have already indicated interest in the summit, which is due to take place in the second quarter of this year,” he stated.
Earlier at LOC’s inaugural meeting, the Deputy Governor noted that the BIIS will birth “Benue Economic City (BEC).” He described BEX as “a city that will be highly commercialised with mixed development projects.”
The Deputy Governor explained that the idea for BEC is to attain “free trade economic status to redefine the commercial landscape of the state with commercial property such as industrial parks, mega malls, cinemas, film studios, a mini health city, a world-class entertainment centre, restaurants, hotels, banks, Diaspora estate, International conference centre, luxury apartments, a golf course and a mini sports centre.
“Besides the proposed infrastructure, the city project promised dedicated independent power supply, portable water, high-speed internet, high-tech security, and emergency services, including an ultra-modern fire service and air ambulances.”
He, therefore, called on the Benue people to keep faith with the Alia administration to remove Benue from poverty, calling on all to key into these people-oriented programmes.
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