Bonny town in Rivers State with estimated $16bn economy or 4% of the national gross domestic product (GDP) has attracted backing of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) which has declared its support and commitment.
NDDC says it will line up behind the three-year strategic programme to transform the historic Bonny Kingdom into a globally competitive tourism destination or the ‘Orange Economy.’
Addressing stakeholders in the tourism industry during the Bonny Island Tourism and Investment Summit, Bonny Island, Samuel Ogbuku, the NDDC Managing Director, said the “Discover Bonny and Orange Economy” initiative reflected a bold and strategic approach to the much-needed economic transformation through enterprise development and investment promotion.
The NDDC boss, represented by Lynna Okara, the Commission’s Director of Commercial and Industrial Development, noted that tourism is not confined to the hospitality sector but is all-encompassing, saying the impact is also on security, communications, finance, education, health, and enhancing economic growth sustainably.
Christened the “Orange Economy,” the tourism summit which was organised by the Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (BCCIMA), anchored on the theme, “Bonny Island: Transforming into a Premier Global Destination.”
L-R: Lyna Okara, NDDC Director, Commercial and Industrial Development; Hilda Dokuba, actress and Social Justice Advocate; Constance Nwokejiobi, President, Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture; King Edward William Pepple III, the traditional ruler of Grand Bonny Kingdom, (2nd right), during the Bonny Island Tourism and Investment Summit in Bonny Island, Rivers State.
Ogbuku commended the leadership of the Bonny Chamber of Commerce for the initiative aimed at mobilising capital, supporting innovation, and creating sustainable opportunities for entrepreneurs and emerging businesses within Bonny and the Niger Delta region.
He observed: “For decades, when the world thought of Bonny, it thought of one thing, namely, what was under the water; not what was on top of it. Oil and gas built roads, schools, jetties that still put food on tables.
“Today, Bonny is doing what the river has always done. It is finding a new path through tourism.
“The mandate of NDDC is centred on facilitating sustainable development, economic empowerment, infrastructural growth, human capital development and inclusive prosperity across the Niger Delta region. Over the years, the Commission has continued to champion programmes that empower youths, women, entrepreneurs, small and medium-scale businesses through skills acquisition, enterprise support, innovation hubs, sponsorship, and strategic partnerships.
“We birthed the Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) in 2023, which is successfully running with a vision whose core mandate includes promoting trade, investment, industrial growth, private sector participation, and regional economic integration.”
The NDDC CEO assured that the Commission was committed to working with economic development institutions, including private investors, to create opportunities that would empower the youths, stimulate enterprise growth, support start-ups, and unlock new economic frontiers.
Speaking at the occasion, Olayiwola Awakan, the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, said that Bonny Island was blessed with many tourism attractions waiting to be exploited.
He said the private-sector approach was necessary to ensure that Bonny’s tourism economy remained commercially viable and was not dependent solely on government funding or political administrations.
Constance Nwokejiobi, President of the Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, said the Orange Economy initiative was designed to complement Bonny’s traditional oil and gas economy with a sustainable tourism industry anchored on the kingdom’s rich cultural heritage, historical sites, natural attractions and hospitality potential.
According to her, the initiative will establish a Tourism Concierge Platform, a structured partnership framework for investors and a privately driven Tourism Centre to coordinate tourism activities and attract investment.
“Tourism is Nigeria’s Orange Economy, a creative and service-driven growth engine capable of diversifying and expanding our national GDP beyond oil and gas,” she said.
Speaking at the occasion, the traditional ruler of Grand Bonny Kingdom, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, declared that “Bonny is a kingdom with a proud history, endowed with oil and gas resources.”
The monarch noted that Bonny Kingdom was contributing significantly to the Nigerian economy through its oil and gas investments, stressing that tourism could provide a second, more sustainable economic pillar for the area.
Discover Bonny Initiative ended in a three-day economic and investment summit targeting tourism. It attracted top investors from the energy industry as well as institutional partnerships. There is also a plan to link Bony with the Caribbean nations to reignite the trans-Atlantic route of old.
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