The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) on Tuesday agreed to strengthen collaborations towards improving investment drive in Nigeria.
Both agencies reached the agreement when the Acting Executive Secretary of NIPC, Mr Emeka Offor, visited the Managing Director/CEO of NEPZA, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba in Abuja.
Offor ,who identified the role of NEPZA in achieving NIPC’s mandate to promote, encourage and coordinate investments in Nigeria, highlighted the need to deepen the relationship between the two agencies.
“We want to see that we work with NEPZA in managing the economic zones. We do not want a situation where NEPZA is doing something different and NIPC is doing something different.
“We always preach a holistic government approach to solving investors’ problems.
“We want to appeal that that collaboration with NEPZA will be deepened so that we can deliver more value to investors and to Nigeria,’’ Offor said.
He said there was the need for NIPC to profile the zones with a view to sharing with the world what can be obtained from the special economic zones.
“For example, TINAPA came with a lot of promises and we will like to see that project revitalised with action in terms of getting work done in that place.
“So, we are willing to work with NEPZA to profile those zones and market them to the world.
“The other thing is to identify some companies currently operating at those zones, especially those in the agriculture value chain that we can also profile and project to the world”, Offor said
He also urged NEPZA to invite some companies operating in the special zones to participate in NIPC’s business investment forum, saying doing so would attract more investments to the zones.
On his part, Adesugba expressed NEPZA’s willingness to deepen the existing relationship with NIPC.
He said there was the need to put more efforts in promoting investments within the scheme of the free zones.
“I think we will continue to do more in terms of supporting each other and in getting the stakeholders on board.
“We will be very glad to collaborate with you in all fronts because this is the easiest way to promote investments; we have about 500 companies within the free zones.
“So, we will like to make use of your expertise in dealing with our investors and help them for various reasons,’’ Adesugba said.
He further urged the NIPC to leverage on what NEPZA is doing as a one-stop-shop and an economic development and facilitation agency.
According to him: “though we are a regulatory authority, our style here is not to wield the big cane; it is to help companies to do business.
“So, we try to do a lot of facilitation and where there are infractions, we try to help the companies to overcome the challenges they may be facing.
“We help them to get out of the problems that may lead to such infractions,’’ he said.
