Nigeria woos Indian investors on power generation, others

Joseph Idiong
The Director General of the Association of Nigerian Exporters

Nigeria woos Indian investors on power generation, others

The Director General of the Association of Nigerian Exporters, Joseph Idiong, is today, Friday leading a delegation to a business meeting with Indian investors.

The meeting follows plans by Nigeria and India to step up discussions on how investors from India can meaningfully participate in Nigeria’s power generation drive towards taking the Nigeria out of darkness.

India, which on Thursday announced that it its power generation has peaked at 185,000 MW, is one of the countries eyeing participation in Nigeria’s power sector privatisation programme.

Both countries used the opportunity of the 10th International Exhibition of Electrical and Industrial Electronics ‘ELECRAMA-2012’ taking place in India to step up discussions in different areas of investment in Nigeria’s power sector.

The Coordinator of the Nigerian delegation to the event, Joseph Idiong, told newsmen that aside from investing in power generation, Nigeria is interested in getting Indian equipment manufacturing firms to set up business in Nigeria.

The Chairperson of the organising committee of the event, Indra Menon, spoke on how developing countries like Nigeria could take advantage of the Indian experience to solve their electricity challenges.

Agenda

Idiong said “we are discussing the possibility of intervention in certain sectors. One of such areas is the generation of power in the free trade zones. With over 24 free trade zones in Nigeria, we are looking at getting those who are interested in coming to the country to generate power in the free trade zones, where you have customers that will buy into it. We are also looking at those who will bring in quality equipment and assemble in our free trade zones and even in our customs territory of Nigeria to produce products that would be of quality standards; those who will bring products into Nigeria that can be given guarantee and warranty, because these days we don’t have warranty on products that we buy abroad.”

The Coordinator said representatives from Nigeria are going to finish the talk, develop some insight report and send to the government of Nigeria.

He said the Nigerian delegation and the electrical manufacturers association will during the meeting today, Friday, discuss on areas of collaboration.

NP/Adekusibe/Cokey