Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has advocated greater cooperation among countries of the Commonwealth to address major challenges confronting them such as unemployment, political instability, poverty, environmental degradation and access to quality education.
He stated this at a luncheon organised by the Westminster Africa Business Group in the House of Parliament in the United Kingdom.
Governor Dickson, who underscored the need to translate political interactions towards fostering economic ties and prosperity, noted that countries in the Commonwealth were not doing enough to promote trade and doing business among them, just as they collectively tackled issues like slave trade and fascism in the past.
His words: “We in the Commonwealth are not doing enough business among ourselves and Africa could do better; the Commonwealth can do even better. After all, our leaders and our people, in the last centuries, confronted common enemies; dealt with the inhumanity of slavery and facism and ended it.
Recounting the vast investment opportunities in Bayelsa State to include crude oil and gas, he noted that the state has the highest Gross domestic Product, GDP, in addition to being ranked as one of the safest states in the country, where international events are hosted annually.
Drawing the attention of members of the Commonwealth to the dangers posed by environmental degradation, which coincided with the World Environment Day, the governor called for concerted efforts to tackle environmental problems as it is a common heritage of all mankind.
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