By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) and Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) have agreed to establish an Investment Academy to train Nigerians on ways to attract investment opportunities to Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of NIPC, Mr Emeka Offor, who visited ACCI with his team on Tuesday, said the proposal to establish the academy in partnership with ACCI has been long overdue and they have come to resuscitate and finalize the agreement.
According to the NIPC ES, “We are here on our earlier proposal on how to resuscitate an early investment academy in partnership with ACCI on investment promotion. The aim of the academy is to train and equip Nigerians in the area of ICT, investment promotions, others and to empower investment promotion program for state.”
Mr Offor said the mandate of NIPC among many others is to provide required information for investors and also get feedback on how the business environment in Nigeria is fairing.
He further said that NIPC has done all that is within its power to facilitate the process of investment and investment activities, and to also make recommendations to the government on way of improving the business environment through linkage of MSMEs to demands.
The ES further said, “We need collaboration to attract investment and investors to Nigeria because we cannot do it alone and since we know that ACCI is a foremost Chamber in Nigeria due to the membership, we are collaborating with the Chamber to move Nigeria investment opportunities forward. Our collaboration with you includes the need to share information because their available information with you that we need and the same with us.”
He added that one of the key roles they play as a commission is to project positive image of investment and we need to educate Nigeria to market their country because we don’t have it better in other clime but they market their countries well.
The President ACCI, Dr Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, who received the team lauded the initiative while urging NIPC to look in-house for the training adding that Nigerians have a lot to do in marketing our country to investors from other countries in other to attract foreign investment.
Dr Abubakar who said the Chamber has four Centre namely; Abuja Trade and Convention Centre (ATC), Dispute Resolution Centre (DRC), BEST Centre and Policy Advocacy Centre (PAC), added that all training activities are domiciled with the BEST Centre while urging NIPC to work very closely with the Centre for the establishment of the Investment Academy.
“Our Centre has been adopted by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). Presently, we have established association and linkages with business groups, trade associations, international Chambers, government agencies, trade offices and foreign embassies, etc. in order to accomplish our goal of enhancing sustainable growth and development of businesses in the FCT and environs”.
The Director General ACCI, Victoria Akai, reaffirmed that the past administration of the Chamber had worked on a draft document for the establishment of the Investment Academy. She assured members that the MoU between ACCI and NIPC for the setting up of the academy would be fast-tracked.
“We were almost there, we spoke to the experts on train-the- trainers, and we will continue from where we stopped to make it a success.” She said.
In a statement by ACCI Media/Strategy Officer, Olayemi John- Mensah on Wednesday, both parties renewed their commitments towards enhancing partnership on several projects that will improve the country’s investment landscape.
At the end of the meeting, afour-man committee was constituted to work on the final agreement for the establishment of the Investment Academy.
