Nigeria remains a formidable investment hub in Sub-Sahara Africa, says FNCCI

Oye Hassan-Odukale

By Eniola Daniel
Nigeria remains a formidable investment hub in sub-Saharan Africa as it is ranked the number one business destination in the region and as well one of the sought business destination from countries around the world, the Franco-Nigerian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, has said.

According to the chairman of the chamber, Oye Hassan-Odukale,  the chamber’s yearly general meeting and signing of partnership between Schneider electric and 21st century Technology to build Tier IV data centre in Lagos, with the exit from the 2016 recession,  Nigeria has continued to show signs of a healthy recovery.
“The last GDP report by the National Bureau of Statistics showed a 1.9% growth in the gross domestic product of Nigeria and non-oil GDP grew by 1.45% which shows that the diversification agenda of the present administration is yielding positive results.
“With the recent passage of the 2018 budget of N9.12 trillion by the National Assembly, I am confident that the growth being recorded will be consolidated and we at the Franco-Nigeria Chambers predict a 3.7% GDP growth by the 4th quarter of 2018”, he added.
He noted that bilateral ties between France and Nigeria continued in an upward swing, as Nigeria remained the first economic and business partner of France in sub-Saharan African region and the 9th largest trade partner of France globally.
On the benefits of the last Nigeria Embassy Cultural showcase in Paris, France, conceived by Dr. Modupe Irele, he said, “a cultural showcase in Paris with the objective of showcasing the rich culture, music fashion and food to French community, has indeed projected Nigeria positively to the international business community. The cooperation between the French Embassy and the office of the Consul General on one part and Chamber on the other has been truly exemplary and complimentary”.

Director,  Sales and Marketing,  21st century Technology,  Assan Cham, who spoke on the need to tighten Nigeria’s cyber security said, “ in the area of cyber security,  the more digitalised and connected our economy,  the more important it becomes to secure our system in cyberspace.
On his part,  the General Manager,  Franco-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce And Industry, Moses Umoru who spoke on the role of technology in 21century, said,  “digital revolution through the implementation of the IOT,  AI,  Cloud solutions,  robotics,  blockchain and crypto-currency remains one of the key highlights of the 21st century. Technology is indeed helping to shape the ways things are done.  Despite this remarkable pace, Africa has not fully measured up to the equation.
“As digital revolution continues to gather pace, traditional business models are undergoing unprecedented levels  of disruption and those businesses that fail to transform themselves into digital integrated organisations will struggle in the digital economy let alone thrive. Today’s customers value experience over relationship and without undergoing digital transformations, organisation will struggle to enable the hyper-personalized experience to maintain customer loyalties”, he added.