Ogun State is fast emerging as a major destination for Chinese investments, with Governor Dapo Abiodun announcing new opportunities in mineral exploration, agriculture, and transport infrastructure.
The governor made this known on Tuesday when he received the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Abiodun described Ogun as Nigeria’s leading non-oil economy, blessed with natural resources such as gold, clay, bitumen, limestone, kaolin, glass sand, and granite. He added that the State ranks top in cassava, eggs, poultry, and fish production, while also producing cocoa, rubber, cashew, and cement on a large scale.
“Ogun State is blessed with a lot of mineral resources. We look forward to partnering with Chinese investors in the area of exploring our natural resources, because some of your people have connived with locals to explore our mineral resources illegally without paying attention to the environment,” the governor said.
He explained that his administration has worked to attract investors by eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks, creating pro-business agencies, and promoting Public-Private Partnership (PPP). He highlighted recent infrastructure projects, including the newly approved international airport, the Kajola Dry Inland Port under construction, and plans for a deep seaport at Olokola.
Abiodun also disclosed that Ogun is in talks to connect Lagos’ blue rail line to enhance regional transportation, while encouraging Chinese investors to explore the State’s vast arable land for agriculture.
Speaking earlier, Ambassador Yu Dunhai revealed that about 160 Chinese companies are already operating in Ogun, investing more than $1 billion through the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone at Igbesa, Ado-Odo-Ota Local Government Area. He said about 100 more investors are set to move into the State, citing the business-friendly environment, good weather, and hospitable people.
“Ogun has provided job opportunities to the locals and contributed to manufacturing, trade, and investment in Nigeria. This is very important cooperation that we have,” he said, while warning Chinese nationals against illegal mining and urging them to obey Nigerian laws.
The envoy added that Nigeria remains China’s biggest trading partner in Africa, noting that the recent bilateral agreement signed between President Tinubu and President Xi Jinping will further strengthen cooperation between both countries.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone, Hajia Hafsat Balewa, said Chinese investments have continued to boost Ogun’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), stressing that the visit reinforces the growing bilateral relationship between China and Nigeria.
