NDIS: Nigeria aims to become a trillion-dollar economy – Dabiri-Erewa

Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership aims to achieve seven per cent growth and become a trillion-dollar economy by fostering robust growth in macro, small and medium enterprises, industrialisation and innovation.

Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), said this on Wednesday at the ongoing Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) themed “Adapting Stability through Diaspora Investment: Navigating the Path to Prosperity’’ in Abuja.

Dabiri-Erewa said that the summit provided a platform for investors and collaborators to invest and do business with Nigerians living within and outside the country.

“Investing in Nigeria through NDIS is an incredible opportunity which I want everyone to take an opportunity to be a part of; the key investment areas are the economic growth and diversification.

“Our country under president Bola Tinubu’s leadership aims to achieve seven per cent growth and become a trillion-dollar economy by fostering robust growth in macro, small and medium enterprises, industrialisation and innovation.

“The Diaspora represents our social capital, so it is imperative that we conduct ourselves in a manner that will tell our positive stories.

“looking at a positive future for Nigeria and her diaspora, in the last few years, Nigerians in diaspora remitted 90 billion dollars into the country’s economy, with 20 billion dollars for 2023 remittances by Nigerian diaspora,’’ NiDCOM chief said.

Some exhibitors and pitchers at the ongoing NDIS lauded the platform created by NDIS and NiDCOM to help in showcasing their products.

Adejoke Lasisi, the Founder/Pitch Director of Planet 3 Hap, a recycle producer of pure water sachets, leather waste bags, said she was glad for the platform created by NDIS and NiDCOM to help showcase her creation and products.

She also called on Nigerians home and abroad to come invest in her products in order to create job opportunity for youths and women.

“We convert textile and plastic waste into eco-friendly products, our job is to convert the waste that we see in our communities into useable items, while we also empower women in these communities to learn and make something for themselves.

“In our company, we have at the moment 47 employees and 43 of them are women,’’ Lasisi said.

Also, Mrs Linda Umuru, an indigene of Gombe State who based in the United States said her restaurant business started small, saying that “today we have a line of restaurants which some of their investors are white Americans investing on Nigerian foods.

She added that their vision was to establish more franchise in the States, adding that they are seeking collaboration and support to ensure Nigerian farmers get money in their pockets through NDIS.

“I started with hair braiding in my house and I cook our local Nigerian food for my family which I sometimes give to my customers. So, when I set up the business outside my house, my customers complained that they missed my house.

“But I said it was my Nigerian cooking that they missed, so we decided to set up a food truck restaurant before it metamorphosed into a restaurant in a place dominated by the whites’ folks.

“So, as I speak to you now, we have a lot of white people who are currently investing on our Nigerian food and our vision is to establish more franchise in the United States.

“This will open up a window in getting our raw materials, such as egusi, yams, crayfish and others from our local farmers here in Nigeria, and to put more money into the pockets of our farmers,’’ she said.

It was reported that the highpoint and mind blowing invention from the summit was from Mr Laye African, a young Nigerian from Canada who produced a keyboard that captures all the Nigerian and African languages.

His keyboard considers and solves the problem of computing Nigeria and African languages into the computer.

Also, Mr Christ Brooks, an American investor who loves Nigeria and seeks to be a citizen, described Nigeria as sleeping giant not only in Africa but in the world.

“Nigeria is the sleeping giant not only in Africa but in the world, and I am proud of Nigeria. Also Nigeria has the best creators and investors and I come here with a group of black investment companies in the US.

“So, the more we learn, the more all of us will see and show up in the next NDIS, and I intend to bring a whole group of investors to Nigeria,’’ he said.