The Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCTMA) has said the challenges confronting the Niger Delta region is largely self-inflicted, saying stronger collaboration between government and the private sector is critical to unlocking the region’s economic potential.

The chamber said, it was time to provide a platform for stakeholders to begin addressing the challenges through coordinated policies, investment and partnerships between the public and private sectors.

Speaking in Port Harcourt yesterday, Chairman of the Chamber, Idaere Gogo Ogan, assured that its upcoming Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit, scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, to 17, 2026, in Port Harcourt, will help to address the challenges.

He noted that the summit will focus on attracting investments and driving regional economic transformation.

Ogan acknowledged the scale of the challenges facing the region, noting that the problems could not be resolved overnight.

“Several things have been happening across the Niger Delta, but this summit will begin to address them, starting with government and the private sector working together to create policies that will address the challenges,” he said.

He said the Chamber remained committed to repositioning the region through its investment summit, which is themed, “Driving Investment, Innovation and Industrial Growth in the Niger Delta.”

According to him, the summit is designed to provide a strategic, private-sector-led platform for accelerating industrial development, diversifying the economy and moving the region away from its predominantly resource-dependent structure to a productive, industrialised and globally competitive economy.

Ogan said the summit would bring together the nine Niger Delta states, the Federal Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), organised private sector, domestic and international investors, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations, financial institutions, project developers and other strategic partners.

He said the region possessed enormous economic opportunities beyond crude oil, identifying gas and petrochemicals, agriculture and agro-processing, maritime and blue economy, manufacturing, aviation and transportation, renewable energy, tourism, digital economy, logistics, infrastructure and financial services as key areas for investment.

“The Niger Delta has the resources. It has the people. It has the market. It has the opportunities. What we must now mobilise are the partnerships, investments and collective determination required to convert these advantages into sustainable and shared prosperity,” he said.

Ogan stressed that the summit would not be another conference for exchanging ideas without concrete action, but an investment and transaction platform designed to connect investors, governments, project promoters, financial institutions and development partners with identified and bankable projects.

“Our emphasis will be on moving from conversations to transactions, from opportunities to projects, and from commitments to implementation,” he said.

He said investment deal rooms would form a major component of the summit, providing direct engagement between investors and project promoters.

Ogan added that the summit would showcase strategic investment opportunities capable of transforming the regional economy, including agro-industrial and oil-palm value chains, gas utilisation and gas-based industries, regional transportation and aviation, maritime infrastructure, industrial and logistics hubs, renewable energy, skills development and digital infrastructure.

He also called for stronger economic integration among the nine Niger Delta states, arguing that the region would derive greater economic benefits by leveraging its collective strengths rather than operating as isolated markets.

The Chamber, he said, recognised the important roles of the NDDC and the nine state governments in achieving the vision, stressing the need for stronger collaboration among them, the Federal Government, private sector and development partners.

He said the summit was expected to produce tangible outcomes, including investment commitments, project partnerships, financing opportunities, policy recommendations and clearly defined implementation frameworks.

“We invite the Federal Government, the nine Niger Delta state governments, NDDC, development partners, financial institutions, Nigerian and international investors, organisations, entrepreneurs and the entire organised private sector to join us in making the Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit a defining platform for the economic transformation of our region,” he said.

Ogan said the Chamber’s message to investors within Nigeria and across the world was simple: “The Niger Delta is open for business.”

“The region is ready for investment, ready for partnerships and ready to create a new economic future built on enterprise, innovation, industrialisation and sustainable development,” he added.

He expressed confidence that the summit would help move the Niger Delta from potential to prosperity and from resources to productive assets, creating opportunities for investors while promoting shared prosperity.

The Chamber also dismissed concerns over litigation surrounding the summit, urging stakeholders and prospective investors to register and participate in the event.

Photo: Ogan speaking in PortHarcourt on Saturday ahead of the Niger Delta Investments summit.