The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has sought to forge a partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment to strengthen diaspora investment and advance economic development endeavours in Nigeria.
The Chairman of NIDCOM, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made the call for collaboration during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, in Abuja.
Dabiri-Erewa emphasized the significant presence of over 17 million Nigerians in the diaspora who harbour a strong passion for their homeland and are eager to contribute to its development through investments.
Highlighting the existence of the Diaspora Investment Trust Fund, which has received approval from President Bola Tinubu, Dabiri-Erewa stressed the importance of synergizing with the ministry to effectively implement the diaspora investment policy.
“We want to work with the ministry to ensure that the diaspora investment policy eventually works while we also talk about foreign direct investment.”
“We have provided a platform for the diaspora to invest. We also want to propose the need to have a diaspora desk under the ministry for everything that concerns their investment. We also want the ministry to consider the need for some incentives for the diaspora like tax incentives among others as part of their returns of investment,” she said.
In response, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, commended NIDCOM for seeking collaboration and acknowledged the vital role of Nigerians in the diaspora in sourcing investment to drive Nigeria’s economic growth.
“Diaspora are the only ones that can invest without asking for outrageous demands that we’ve seen from other investors over the years because Diaspora is emotional and sentimental towards their home country,” Uzoka-Anite remarked. “Our job is also to create an investment opportunity and the platform to enable that to happen to support these investments.”
Director of Economy, Trade, and Investment in the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bolaji Akinremi, expressed optimism about the investment platform’s potential benefits for Nigerians in the diaspora and urged them to capitalize on the opportunity to invest in their homeland.
NAN
