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The Asagba with dignitaries at the event
It was a rare convergence of royalty and the national business community as the Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Professor Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge, invited investors to share in the project of positioning Asaba, capital city of Delta State, as a hub for businesses.
In an event dubbed “An Evening with Corporate Nigeria, A Convergence of Culture and Capital”, the royal father outlined his dream to leverage on the hospitality of his people and the availablity of critical infrastructure to realise the transformation of Asaba.
In his remarks, the monarch said there are many opportunities for businesses to thrive in Asaba, highlighting the availability of an airport, making access easy.
Addressing the audience, chairman of the committee that oversaw the event, Dr. Boniface Chizea, thanked Asagba Azinge for thinking out of the box with lots of creativity and innovations. Ogbueshi Chizea posited that the monarch is driven with passion to fast-track the wellbeing of his people and has set up various committees to make his aspirations for Asaba materialise. He highlighted the Blue Economy potentials of Asaba as it concerns the ecosystem provided by the River Niger.
In his presentation on investment opportunities in Asaba, Chief Afam Obiago, a renowned economist, explained that Asaba is now a Brown Field, rather than a Green Field as some investors are already savoring the available opportunities.
With a population of around a million as at today ,out of which 70% are active youths, Obiago said Asaba is a veritable source for the labour market. According to him, Asaba has 31% unemployment rate and 80% literacy level which comprises skilled and semi skilled workforce for potential investors.
He told the audience and potential investors that the urbanisation trajectory of Asaba due to rapid inflow of persons from South East and its locational advantage as a neighbouring town to Onitsha which boasts of the largest market in West Africa. Asaba, he said, is a viable destination for real estate as it has a housing deficit of over 400,000, and that with a functional airport, accessing Abuja and Lagos from Asaba takes just 40 minutes.
Obiago said that with the good roads in Delta State, businesses can easily access the Warri Port through Ughelli and Port Harcourt through Patani, while investors will enjoy incentives from the Kwale and Koko Free Trade Zones, which are within reach to Asaba.
Ogbueshi Chike Ogeah, managing director of MacFolly Hospitality Limited and one-time Delta State Commissioner for Information, said Asaba’s unique location as the convergence point of all the zones in Nigeria makes the Delta State capital the ideal place for investors to access the vast market in parts of the country.
Present at the event were top Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors of various corporations, including Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie of Rain Oil, Ogbueshi Ndu Obiagor of GEC Petroleum, Rear Admiral Okoja (rtd) of Mercury Maritime Concession Limited, Pamela Sodipo, Executive Director, South-South, of Fidelity Bank; Dr Kingsley Nwokeoma, President, Association of Foreign Airlines in Nigeria; Dr Oscar Onyema, former CEO, Nigeria Exchange Group and a host of others.
