PHACCIMA Lauds Rivers’ Urban Renewal

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, (PHACCIMA) has commended the Rivers State Government for its commitment to urban renewal and development.

This is as PHACCIMA has stated that the state is presently safe for business, seeking the presence of international and local investors.

President of PHACCIMA, Mr. Mike Elechi, made the assertion during the unveiling of its 16th Port Harcourt International Trade Fair, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State’s capital.

Elechi disclosed that the theme of this year’s Port Harcourt international trade fair, which has been fixed to hold from December 6 to December 20,  is “Preparing SMEs to          Maximise Trade Opportunities in AFCFTA within the South-South Region.”

He said that every necessary arrangement has been put in place for the successful trade fair.

Elechi commended the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, for his infrastructural development in the state, and said that investors could now come into Port Harcourt and exhibit their products at the fair without fear of insecurity.

“When we are talking about Trade Fair in Port Harcourt, it is not all about chamber of commerce but all about Rivers State. The Rivers State Governor, His Excellency Nyesom Wike, has in the past seven years doted a skyline in Port Harcourt with some physical development; flyovers, good roads and even structures have risen up in Port Harcourt according to trend of the time.

“We at the chamber are trying to get economic investors and those who want to come into Port Harcourt to do business.

“We need to tell the world that Rivers State is a good place for business.

“You know that the crime rate in Rivers State has drastically reduced because many people have one or two things doing now. You know that Rivers man is a very peaceful person.

“The good thing this that we can Google map on our venue, there is good network to the place. Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Elekahia is very accessible,” Elechi stressed.

Earlier in his speech, the Committee Chairman for Marketing the Trade Fair, Dr. Uche Maraizu, revealed that the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce has provided enabling environment for investors to come from all across the country and globe for the exhibition of their products at the trade fair.

Maraizu beckoned on “different participants, different groups, companies, countries to come into Port Harcourt to actually exhibit their products, what they stand for, their companies themselves and we make it an event.

“What we have done is that we have taken it to a larger venue that has a lot of facilities in terms of security, access and visibility. We have done this to make sure that our exhibitors are going to be very comfortable, to make sure that our exhibitors are going to be quite secure.

“The state government has invested a lot in terms of urban renewal and on our part as Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce is to complement what the state government has done.

“Hence, we have made it simple for prospective exhibitors to contact us either through phone, email etc. and to go online to see the detail of our marketing brochure,” Maraizu added.