By Idris Kareem
The chief of staff to the Osun state governor, Akinola Charles On Tuesday said world-class and top-notch speakers, development partners, investors, panelists and moderators have confirmed their attendance for the states economic summit slated for November 19 to 21.
He said that the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; Central Bank Governor,
Mr Godwin Emiefele; Minister of Trade, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; Minister of Steels and Mines, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Sabo Nanono and Emeritus Prof. Ademola Oyejide, Chairman, Public Policy Group, ISGPP are expected to grace the three-day event.
According to him the summit would serve as a platform to showcase the state as a strategic location for industrialization.
He said, “This is going to be a platform where the state will be looking inward to grow the immense economic potential of the state and as well showcase Osun as a strategic location for industrialisation.
“We are going to look at the area of agriculture where cocoa economy will be revamped. This is going to be a paradigm shift in the annals of our economy as we want to change completely the mentality of being the civil service state to industrialised and agro-economic state. We have the ecological advantage to advance our economy. We want to become a regional commercial hub.
“We have mining assets which if properly harnessed can help to boost the economic potentials of the state. We want to regulate the sector for the benefit of the people and the state. Already, Osun is officially on the global mining map.
“We also want to look into the tourism sector by developing our tourist sites. We are looking at eco-tourism through exploration of the economic potentials at Osun Grove, Olumirin Waterfalls, Opa Oranmiyan tourist site in Ile-Ife and the state’s textile economy. We will revitalise the economy around these assets.
“Osun has been known as a regional hub for commerce. People then, moved from far and near to Osogbo to buy and sell. So, we are going to reactivate this for the benefit of the state and her people. We are glad that we have aggressively developed infrastructure. Our infrastructure renewal will go a long way to achieve this aim. Since our state is among the safest in the country, we will also also market that to attract investment and investors “, he added.
