Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has called on the Federal Government to encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as a way of ensuring speedy recovery of Nigeria’s economy from the effects of down-turn in oil price.

The Governor made the call Tuesday in Asaba, when he played host to the Managing Director of Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Development Authority, Hon. Victor Alabo, who led the management team of the organization to Government House.

“I hope we will continue to encourage direct foreign investment into the country, that is the best way to go for Nigeria, and in Delta State, we understand the benefits of direct foreign investments ” the Governor said. This, he said, was important for Nigeria economy to get the needed boost that would jump-start growth in the manufacturing sector.

The Governor disclosed that opportunity for investment existed in the Free Trade Zone where the current Delta Steel Company (DSC) is sitting on more than 700 hectares of land.

He observed that the company that took over the operations of DSC has said that apart from rolling out steel at the former output level within fourteen months, it was going to partner other companies to set up petro- chemical industries, among others, in the proposed Free Trade Zone.

“We are willing to partner with investors and agencies like yours and will provide the enabling environment for investments to grow in our state,” Governor Okowa assured, reiterating that his administration was committed to making the state the industrial nerve centre of the country.

The Governor asserted that youths in the state have been encouraged to embrace technical education and the empowerment programmes of his administration was aimed at churning out entrepreneurs that would be employers of labour in no distant time.

Earlier, Hon. Alabo stated that they were in Asaba to intimate the Governor of the Economic free zones in Warri and Aladja and to partner with the state government on the development and provision of enabling environment for investment to thrive in the zones.