Jethro Ibileke/Asaba.
Delta State governor, Ifeayin Okowa, has lamented the nation’s over dependence on oil as the base for its economy.
Okowa who spoke Tuesday when the South African Consular-General, Ambassador Sam Momaisa, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to him in Asaba, said his administration was desirous of partnering with investors especially from Africa with a view to diversifying and growing the economy as a means of providing job for the people of the state.
He added that his administration would provide the enabling environment for investments to thrive in the state so as to reinvigorate the economy.
“It is clear that as a nation our over-dependence on oil is not the way to go, we need to diversify our economy, we are glad to have investments come to our country and our state, we desire to develop our people, and provide the enabling environment for investment to flow as only through this, can we provide employment for our people. We truly want to engage in a relationship with South Africa, as working together in partnership with you and other African countries, we can grow our continent,” the governor said.
He announced that his administration would develop three industrial parks in the three senatorial districts of the state to boost investments and diversify the state economy, two of which he said would be agro-related while the one in Warri would be oil-sector related. He added that this would be in partnership with the private sector to take advantage of the oil industry in the area.
While restating the desire of his administration to empower the youths through the STEP/YAGEP programmes, Governor Okowa asserted that the state government would restructure the state educational system and the school curricula to enable the students acquire technical skills which would make them useful to themselves and the society as entrepreneurs.
Earlier, the South African Consular-General, Ambassador Mumaisa, said they were in the state to seek avenues for partnership and investments disclosing that a lot of South African businesses were interested in investing in the state especially in the tourism and hospitality sector.