World Bank Country Director, Omoigui-Okauru, Duke confirmed for Alaghodaro Summit

… Edo Industrial Park to be launched on Nov 11   

With nine days to the commencement of the maiden Edo State Alaghodaro investment summit,  the World Bank Country Director, Rachid Benmessaoud, and former Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) boss, Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, among many others, have confirmed attendance for the summit, which will unveil a 30-year plan for Edo State.   

Tagged Alaghodaro, which means ‘progress,’ the summit will host business leaders, industrialists, academia and investors and provide opportunity for robust discourse on Edo as Nigeria’s best kept secret, institutional reforms, economic development, role of innovators and creative industries in the development matrix, among others. The three-day summit will hold from November 10 to 12, at Edo Hotels, Okada Avenue, Benin City.

Other confirmed panellists for the summit include, former Governor, Cross River State, Donald Duke; Board Chairman, Leyland International, Yemi Idowu; Research Fellow, Forum for Growth and Innovation, Harvard Business School, Efosa Ojomo; Department for International Development (DFID) representative, Esohe Eigbike, Member, Education Task Team, World Bank, Dr. Tunde Adekola and Chinedo Ugwu-Chinwuba of General Electric Health).

Others are David Ladipo of Azura Power; co-founder, BudgIT, Seun Onigbinde; Jayakrishnan Gopklokrishnan of International Enterprise, Singapore, among others.

A key highlight for the summit will be the groundbreaking of the Edo Industrial Park on November 11, which is a milestone development expected to serve as the melting point of the state’s industrialisation efforts. A public-private partnership between the state government and Mahinda Group of India, it will be powered by gas power plant.

Recall that the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, inaugurated the organising committee, headed by Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, at the Government House, in Benin City, recently.

Businesses and companies domiciled in the state are also putting their books in order to showcase prospects for partnership and collaboration.

International companies billed to attend the event are General Electric (GE) of the United States (US), Mahindra Group of India, Tolaram Group of Singapore, Olam Group, Indorama, among others.