Cross River Woos Global Investors at Economic Summit
By Inemesit Friday
Cross River State has intensified efforts to attract both foreign and local investors as Governor Bassey Otu urged global business leaders to explore the state’s rich investment opportunities in agriculture, mining, tourism, renewable energy, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Mike Odere, at the Global United Christian Congress of Africa and the Diaspora (GUCCAD) Investment Forum in Calabar, Governor Otu described the meeting as a vital platform to stimulate foreign direct investment and deepen diaspora-driven economic partnerships.
He welcomed delegates to Calabar and emphasized that collaboration among nations remains crucial for harnessing natural and human resources toward sustainable development. The governor highlighted Cross River’s peaceful environment, strategic location, and vast landmass as key assets that make it an investment hub in Nigeria’s South-South region.
Otu noted that the Calabar Free Trade Zone positions the state for accelerated growth in key sectors such as agriculture, mining, and renewable energy. He cited cocoa, rice, palm, rubber, cashew, and ginger as priority crops for investors and announced plans to expand forest reserves while promoting clean energy investments in solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicle components.
Presenting the state’s investment roadmap, Vice Chairman of the State Planning Commission, Dr. Bong Duke, said Cross River offers investors a unique chance to combine profit with purpose. He outlined agriculture, tourism, and aviation as primary growth pillars, with auxiliary industries like agro-processing, ethanol, cocoa butter, and fruit juice production also open for investment.
He noted that opportunities abound at the upgraded Calabar International Airport, the new Obudu Cargo and Passenger Airport, and in the revival of Obudu Mountain Resort, Tinapa Business Resort, and Carnival Calabar through public-private partnerships. Duke further identified renewable energy, education, healthcare, and ICT as emerging frontiers for investors, adding that the state is laying fibre-optic cables to attract data centres and tech startups.
He assured investors that the Planning Commission now serves as a one-stop office to ease project initiation and operation.
Director General of the Cross River Diaspora Commission, Prince Otu Okor, said the forum’s theme, Invest Cross River, reflects the government’s renewed commitment to inclusive and sustainable partnerships.
President of GUCCAD, Prof. Ijeoma Nwosu, praised the state’s hospitality and policies, disclosing that delegates from 18 countries attended the summit and forecasting greater participation next year, saying, “Business and investment will flow like a river in Cross River.”
