Worried by the continued negative perception of Nigeria abroad in spite of some positive strides in the country, the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) new president, Adedapo Adelegan, has promised to engage Nigerians in Diaspora towards correcting the perception, especially in the British society and its media.
Often times, certain individuals and organisations in the global community lump Nigeria, African biggest economy, among other 53 African nations as one country and associate it with some pessimistic beliefs of wars, strife, low return on investment, unfriendly and scams.
But Adelegan, a marketing expert, said for Nigeria he would employ different platforms of engagement that would include commissioned documentaries, cultural road shows and establishment of legacy economic activities to assist to re-create Nigeria’s image.
NBCC president, who was speaking at his inauguration as the 14th president of the Chamber established in 1977 to promote trade and investment between Nigeria and Britain, in Lagos recently, emphasised on the need for critical infrastructure that would support especially the agriculture sector.
Citing India, he said the country had made strategic investment in critical areas of its economy, therefore securing superior design and engineering know-how that had supported the local manufacturing industry, which had placed India as a major industrial nation.
Adelegan, who joined NBCC 20 years ago, said the Chamber would encourage entrepreneurs in buying into the UK economy, “as Nigeria needs technology that is important as a foundation for the future of the economy. We will need FDI from UK, but will also encourage Nigerian investment in that country.”
According to Adelegan, entrepreneurial spirit will ultimately define the place of Nigeria in the next frontier of global economy.
As a determination to engage government further, he said the chamber has inaugurated the Abuja chapter and “we are considering the creation of Public membership sector category within the chamber to ensure that the partnership that is required to move the economy forward is achieved.
The chamber will move closer to government to ensure that the right policies and the right momentum are generated for development”.
On the chamber’s progress, he said the chamber has completed the foundation of its plaza and is poised to start the second phase which is a pointer to the chamber’s determination to transform itself in the next two years to become the premium chamber in this country.
In support of NBCC academy to provide training, he said the chamber has secured a place in Yaba, Lagos for the establishment of NBCC academy and SME support centre and “we are doing it in partnership with a leading vocational training centre in UK”, he said.
Congratulating the new NBCC president, the governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode who was represented by his deputy, Oluranti Adebule said the trade relationship between Britain and Nigeria has been greatly beneficial over the years. “With increase in trade volume from 1.42 billion pounds in 2010 to over 7 billion in 2012 Nigeria ranks high as UK second trade partner on the continent after South Africa. The role of NBCC in the growth of this bilateral trade cannot be over emphasized”.
There is no doubt that Lagos is the greatest beneficiary of the this trade, which has contributed to the state’s GDP to $136 billion as well as the rising profile as a mega city in the world, he said, saying Lagos is still open for business.
According to the governor, his efforts in the last few months have been focused on improving infrastructural development, strengthening the capacity of security agencies to guarantee safety. “We are also implementing policies to address traffic gridlock in parts of the state. He assured the business community of making ease of doing business a pleasurable experience.”
