DELTA State is positioning itself as Nigeria’s emerging investment hub by leveraging on massive infrastructure development, abundant natural resources, reliable power supply and strategic maritime assets.
State Government (SSG), Kingsley Emu, who disclosed this during a press briefing on Wednesday, July 22, ahead of the state Economic and Investment Summit scheduled for August 3 to 5 in Asaba, said the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration has laid a solid foundation for industrialisation through sustained investments in roads, bridges, power and transport infrastructure.
Emu added that government has constructed and rehabilitated over 2,600 kilometres of roads and over 20 bridges, thereby opening up rural communities, reducing transportation costs and connecting economic corridors across the state.
He stated that one of the state’s biggest competitive advantages is the Delta Special Economic Zone, which offers investors access to cheap and reliable power supply from the OB-3 gas pipeline.
Emu explained that the state currently operates an independent power infrastructure, supplying about 8.5 megawatts of electricity to government facilities and public institutions, while ongoing electricity sector reforms would further expand access to affordable power for industries.
He underscored the state’s strategic maritime advantages, as it boasts of four seaports, two airports and a 163-kilometre Atlantic coastline, making it one of Nigeria’s most strategically located investment destinations.
The SSG said the government intends to unlock the vast economic opportunities within the blue economy by promoting aquaculture, commercial fishing, fish feed production, cold-chain logistics, seafood processing and marine transportation.
He noted that Delta possesses one of West Africa’s largest concentrations of fish ponds around the Ekpan and Ugborikoko axis, where fish farming has transformed livelihoods and created sustainable employment for thousands of residents.
Beyond the blue economy, Emu said the state was richly endowed with commercially viable deposits of coal, lignite, kaolin and silica, which offer significant opportunities for mining, manufacturing and power generation, noting that coal mined in parts of the state currently supplies major cement manufacturers, while proposals were underway for coal-based electricity generation to support industrial expansion.
He explained that the state government has spent the last three years engaging investors across China, Brazil and other strategic locations to market Delta’s investment opportunities, recalling that direct investment engagements in São Paulo has yielded positive results, with Brazilian companies expected to participate in the Summit, while Chinese businesses had also indicated strong interest.
Emu disclosed that the state has developed comprehensive investment prospectuses and launched a dedicated Summit website to facilitate investor engagement before and after the event, expressing confidence that the Summit would mark a turning point in Delta’s economic transformation by attracting investments capable of deepening industrialisation, expanding exports and creating employment for the state’s youthful population.
