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| Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo |
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, has called on foreign firms seeking investment opportunities in the country to create jobs for Nigerians.
The minister made the call on Thursday in separate meetings he held with top managements of two foreign firms in his office in Abuja.
The firms are Samsung Heavy Industries, from Korea and Datasonic Group Berhard from Malaysia.
While Samsung came for business expansion and vessel fabrication in Nigeria, Datasonic sought government’s support for a $100m investment in Information Communication Technology solution services in the country.
The minister assured them that he was excited that foreign firms were coming to Nigeria to seek investment opportunities.
He, however, noted that such investment plans should give top priority to job opportunities for Nigerians, especially the youths.
He also expressed government’s readiness to create enabling environment for their businesses, as long as they would create jobs.
He said, “As a government, we are excited that you are here seeking investment opportunities in our country.
“The fact is that it is the priority of President Mohammadu Buhari to create jobs for our youths through direct foreign investments.”
The minister added, “It is also exciting that you are coming now at the beginning when we are trying to settle down in office so that you can be part of our plans.
“Our mandate is to give support to whoever wants to come and provide job opportunities as private investors.”
The managing director of SHI Samsung Ltd, Mr Jejin Jeon, said his firm was proposing to site a factory in Nigeria, thereby making the country a vessel fabrication hub in Africa.
He disclosed that his firm had invested about $500m in Nigeria in the last six years.
Also, Mr Chew Ben Ben, the Chief Executive Director of Datasonic Group, told the minister that his firm in partnership with Chrome Group of Nigeria had a multimillion dollars ICT project plan for the country.
He said the project which would cover production of secured passports, chip-based drivers’ licence, integrated security, surveillance systems, auto-gates with facial recognition systems would provide several jobs for Nigerian youths.
Chairman, Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Adetokunbo Kayode, expressed confidence that the project would further drive the economic diversification agenda of the current administration.
