By Felix Khanoba
The new Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Saratu Umar, has assumed office, with a pledge to attract more foreign and local investments to the country.
Saratu, who stated this on Thursday in Abuja after taking over the leadership of the organisation following her appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari, reiterated that NIPC will be a strong public institution, with a private sector orientation that delivers effective and efficient services that exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the investment ecosystem.
“We will orchestrate and execute targeted investment drives along country-specific, investor-specific, sector-specific, industry-specific, regional- specific, and investment-type specific strategies to facilitate FDI (and LDI – Local Direct Investment) that fit into Nigeria’s development and investment needs, in an inclusive, coordinated, tangible, measurable and effective manner.
“We will logically conclude the National Investment Promotion Coordination Framework, to provide a clear strategy for a seamless collaboration and coordination of the Investment eco-system, as well as usher in a robust and effective stakeholder communication and engagement.
“This will result in effective partnerships between NIPC and critical stakeholders including the international community and development partners. We will listen to, and work with, our stakeholders.
“Indeed, within the next two months, we will hold the second series of our stakeholder engagement which we started in 2014, with various key stakeholder sessions to discuss their challenges, interact, and obtain feedback towards resolving them and creating synergies that facilitate impact.
“We are on the cusp of history, my dear colleagues, and Nigeria needs an NIPC that will maximally deliver on its mandate.
“Anything short of a world-class Investment Promotion Agency is simply not acceptable. We must keep this reality at the core of our focus, as we forge ahead,” she said.
The NIPC boss also called on management staff of the commission to lead by example and work as a team to achieve the desired goals.
“I expect all of us, and I mean all staff, to be ethical, committed, and above board,” she said.
Saratu, who also advocated for robust commitment to assigned duty from staff, warned against unhealthy competition in NIPC.
“I will expect an attitude of doing what is right and doing the right things right. I will expect a paradigm shift in culture to what is obtainable in world-class institutions locally and internationally.
“We must be a highly professional and a high-performing public institution. I will expect results and expect that we give our jobs our best shots.
“As human beings, we are not infallible and will therefore, make mistakes. I will only ask that we learn from our mistakes and not repeat them,” she said.
