Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has urged the Federal Government to encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), saying it will ensure speedy recovery of Nigeria’s economy from the effects of down-turn in oil price.
The Governor made the call in Asaba on Tuesday during a meeting with the Director of Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Development Authority, Honourable Victor Alabo, who led the management team of the organisation to the Government House.
Governor Okowa acknowledged that there were opportunities for investments existing in the Free Trade Zone that will be established on more than 700 hectares of land within the current location of the Delta Steel Company (DSC).
He explained that the company that took over the operations of DSC had said that apart from rolling out steel at the former output level within 14 months, it was going to partner with other companies to set up petro-chemical industries, among others, in the proposed Free Trade Zone.
According to the Governor, youths in the state had been encouraged to embrace technical education and the empowerment programmes of his administration aimed at churning out entrepreneurs that would be employers of labour in no distant time.
While Briefing reporters, Mr Alabo said they were in Asaba to brief the Governor on the Economic Free Trade Zones in Warri and Aladja and work out a partnership with the state government on the development and provision of enabling environment for investment to thrive in the zones.