NBCC charts pathway to boost trade, investment in Nigeria

As Olawore emerges 15th president

The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) has unveiled plans to attract foreign direct investment into Nigeria, particularly from Britain and promote efforts to build the country’s capacity to meet global export standards that could boost trade and investment portfolio.

Speaking in Lagos at the chamber’s yearly general meeting and investiture of its 15th President, the newly elected President of the chamber, Akinola Olawore, who decried the country’s negative image in the press, said the chamber is working on strategies to attract investors into the country.

“We will be bringing businesses here because Nigeria has got a lot of bad press and the best way to shake that off is to build relationship that will bring foreign companies to Nigeria to see if they should believe the bad press or not. When you have not gone to a country, you may believe the bad press but when you are there you will see the money and not the bad press.

According to him, though the economic situation is tough all over the world, Nigeria has enough room for growth provided there are avenues to grow the industry.

Olawore said the current economy situation in Nigeria is an opportunity for businesses, adding that the chamber is determined to identify gaps in the economy and bridge them to the nation’s advantage.

He stated that the chamber would ensure that the country meets global export criteria in order to ensure goods from the country are accepted, particularly in the UK.

“There was a time beans from Nigeria were banned in the UK and we could not export our yams differently. We see our yam everywhere and we don’t benefit so much from it.

So, we will look up to private investors to see how we can partner together and provide facilities that will enable to meet export standards.“We don’t want to sit back and complain. We don’t want to keep talking about what government is not doing, we would rather take action,” Olawore stated.

He said the current executive of the chamber has been carefully selected to meet up with the expectations and goals of the body.Immediate past president of the chamber, Dapo Adelegan, who said the chamber has witnessed tremendous improvement in the past two years, urged the new administration to the see the chambers achievement as pedestal for new height.