By Staff Reporter

All roads lead to Enugu for the maiden Oganiru Enugu State Investment Summit from 12–14 April at Michael Okpara Square.

The three-day summit, with the theme ‘Beyond Oil: Fostering Inclusive Economic Growth and Sustainable Development’, comes after the Metro Éireann Mini Investment Summit for Enugu State held in Dublin this past January.

Organisers say the Enugu summit will bring together local and international business leaders and investors, bankers, financiers, the diplomatic community and  academia to explore Enugu’s rich potential – and that of Nigeria’s South-East region as a whole – across all of its industries from agriculture to entertainment.

Speakers confirmed for the event include Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, and Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola who will deliver the keynote address on the theme of public-private partnership.

Confirmed speakers from the private sector include Dr Pascal Dozie, founder and former chair of Diamond Bank; Emeka Ene of the Oildata Energy Group; Ndidi Nwuneli of AACE Foods and Leap Africa; Prof Margee Ensign of the American University of Nigeria in Yola; Prof Barth Nnaji of Geometric Powers; Lazarus Angbaso of General Electric; and Nicholas Okoye of the Anabel Group.

Oganiru director-general Ike Chioke also disclosed that many Nigerian companies, multinational corporations, government agencies and international organisations have confirmed their participation at the summit.

Among them are the World Bank, Fidelity Bank, Yuanda Company, Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), National Pension Commission (Pencom), Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (Smedan), Enugu Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mines & Agriculture (Eccima), DfID, UBA, Afrinvest, Etisalat, Innoson Motors and NBET.

Oganiru is a platform through which the government of Enugu State seeks to collaborate with the private sector to promote enterprise and improve economic productivity.

It is an initiative of the Enugu State Economic Advisory Committee, set up by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in June 2015 to advise and guide the state on economic policies that would best engender sustainable economic growth.