President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday has declared that his home state of Bayelsa has the potential to drive the country’s economy.
He therefore pledged to work with the Governor Seriake Dickson administration to enable the state maximize its economic resources and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’ development.
He spoke yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Bayelsa Economic and Investment Forum in Yenagoa, the state capital.
President Jonathan lauded Governor Dickson for talking the initiative to bring investors to the state to explore and invest in its vast economic resources.
He said the state has a lot to offer the country in oil and gas, agriculture, seaport and the tourism sectors.
The forum with the theme, “Unlocking Bayelsa State’s Economic Potential: Opportunities and Challenges,” the President, who was represented at the event by Vice President Namadi Sambo, President Jonathan observed that Bayelsa was yet to realise its full potential.
Jonathan asserted that the Private Partnership Initiative, PPI, was yielding result in states like Nassarawa State, which recently commissioned the largest rice farm in Africa.
The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and her Trade, Industry and Investment counterpart, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji BamangaTukur, delivered goodwill messages at the forum.
Mrs. Akison-Madueke said the Federal Government had taken steps to deepen its partnership with Bayelsa on several projects, including the Brass Liquefied Natural Gas, BLNG.
She said the Final Investment Decision, FID, would be reached in the first quarter of next year, as the Federal Government plans to create more jobs in the state through various programmes, using the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.
The Guest Speaker, Mr. Jim O’Neil, who was Chairman of Gold Sachs Asset Management, stressed the need to build an inclusive political government, create critical infrastructure and build institutions to gain the confidence of investors.
He was represented at the event by the Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Lord Malloch-Brown
In his opening remark, Governor Dickson said that the event was the climax of “our philosophy which is bringing the world to Bayelsa and taking Bayelsa to the world.”