By Akeem Abas
Ibadan – Mr Darkey Africa, Consul-General of South Africa in Lagos, has declared his country’s readiness to partner Oyo State Government on the economic development of the state.
He made the disclosure in Ibadan during a courtesy call on Mr Olalekan Alli, the Secretary to Oyo State Government, in his office.
The envoy explained that the visit was to explore partnership with Oyo State in the areas of agriculture, mining, education, tourism, trade and investment.
Africa said that South Africa has nine provinces, with each of them having its economic profile that Oyo state could collaborate with for economic development.
In his remarks, Alli reiterated the readiness of the state government to partner with any individual, group, state or country that was ready to invest in the state for economic development.
According to Alli, the state was given a four star rating by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) in the area of helping foreign and domestic investors.
He said that the state was also adjudged as the 4th best investment-friendly state and one of the only five states that attracted investment to the country in the last quarter of 2017 by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Alli said that the position placed Oyo State as one of the safest and conducive states for doing business, stressing that the government was committed to industrialization.
The SSG reiterated that the establishment of the Free Trade Zone, Industrial Park and Technical University in the state were part of the efforts of the present administration to make the state an industrial hub of the nation.
He stated that the state government was using agriculture as a platform of the state’s industrialization, adding that the state was now being seen as a centre of industrial revolution.
Alli commended the envoy for selecting the state as the first beneficiary of its collaboration in Nigeria, promising that the opportunity would be fully and judiciously utilised.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a working committee was inaugurated to fashion out a framework to facilitate the relationship within 14 days. (NAN)