The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa has said over 2,000 participants would feature in the sixth edition of Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit, NDIS.
Dabiri-Erewa made this known while briefing journalists in Abuja on Friday.
According to her, this year’s summit, a 3-day hybrid event, would be held from November 13th to 15th, 2023, in Abuja, focusing on agribusiness, technology, and education among other areas.
The Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) is an annual event that fosters economic collaboration and inward investment into Nigeria. It provides a platform for engagement between the Nigerian diaspora and global investors, promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth and development in Nigeria.
It is a private sector initiative supported by the Nigerian government through the NiDCOM, and its primary aim is to demonstrate that in the face of stiff competition for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), targeting Nigerians in Diaspora for inward investment is probably the best strategy for a country like Nigeria with over 15m of its citizens gainfully domiciled in Diaspora.
She said, “This year’s summit – a hybrid event enabling remote participation via online channels – is particularly special, being the first under the new administration of HE President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, and will have as its Special Guest of Honour and Main Keynote Speaker, HE Senator Kashim Shettima GCON, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“As at press time, this year’s summit already has registered, over 2,000 interested participants, including at least 72 identified Nigerian Diaspora investors, 196 small business owners, 148 representatives of private sector entities and 88 public officials from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies who are expected to attend in person, with a further 1,250 expected to participate virtually.
“Some of the high-profile guests expected to attend the summit include the President and Chairman, Board of Directors, African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), Dr Benedict Okey Oramah, the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Finance, Chief Adebayo Olawale Edun, the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh and the Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure.
“With Heifer International, a nonprofit charity on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way as its Lead Sponsor, this year’s summit promises to be a significant milestone in promoting economic collaboration, harnessing opportunities, and fostering a revamped investment climate for Nigeria, under the leadership of the new President, Distinguished Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.
“The focus sectors for #NDIS2023 include agribusiness, technology, education, healthcare, real estate and infrastructure. Others are creative, sport and entertainment; energy, mining and manufacturing.”
The Chairman said the summit would feature the formal opening, main plenary, tour of exhibition booths, pitching sessions and deal room, to include: “Business Pitching segment where home-based entrepreneurs and founders present their identified investment opportunities to the investors in a moderated session;
“Special Session by Heifer International, the Lead Sponsor, highlighting major investment opportunities, trends and developments, as well as thought leadership insights in the Agribusiness sector.
“A Crowdfunding panel session to share knowledge, insights and tips on how to maximize crowdfunding for startup and early-stage fundraising, from an African perspective.
“Keynote remarks by distinguished business leaders, Policy statements by high-level government officials,” she added.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa further stated that the success stories of diaspora summit further shows that it is not just one of the surest platforms for attracting Diaspora investment into the local economy, but also serves as a vital catalyst for new business start-ups across the country.
On why Heifer International is supporting NDIS, the Interim Country Director of Heifer International Nigeria, Dr Lekan Tobe stated, “NDIS has established itself as the premier platform for connecting Nigerians in the diaspora with opportunities for investment and engagement in the country’s burgeoning industries. NDIS 2023 aims to strengthen the bonds between Nigeria and its diaspora communities while revealing a dynamic view of investment opportunities and prospects in various sectors, particularly Agriculture, which is our focus sector.
“We feel that our goal of assisting more than two million households to achieve sustainable living income by 2030, through strategic private and public sector partnerships that will support the unlocking of the potential in Nigeria’s agricultural sector to achieve food self-sufficiency is fully aligned with that of the summit, as expressed through the NDIS initiative.”
