OGUN WOOS GLOBAL INVESTORS, DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS AT 81ST UNGA SIDE EVENT
Ogun State has taken its investment pitch to the global stage, wooing international investors and development partners with its expanding industrial base, strategic infrastructure, agricultural potential and business-friendly reforms at a high-level side event on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.
Representing the State at the engagement, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Development Partners Coordination, Dr. Bayo Adenekan, said Ogun was strategically positioned to attract increased domestic and international investment, citing its growing industrial clusters, infrastructure development, agricultural opportunities and economic reforms under the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Adenekan said the State was seeking stronger partnerships to unlock opportunities in agriculture, infrastructure, innovation, climate and green financing, youth empowerment and artificial intelligence, among other priority sectors.
He said Ogun’s participation at UNGA provided an opportunity to showcase the State’s economic potential to a global audience while strengthening relationships with international investors, development institutions and strategic partners.
According to him, sustained collaboration between government, investors and development institutions remained essential to unlocking Ogun’s economic potential, addressing emerging development challenges and creating opportunities for businesses, young people and communities.
Adenekan also highlighted the importance of innovative financing mechanisms, particularly climate and green financing, in supporting infrastructure development and building a more resilient and sustainable economy.
The engagement, which focused on innovative financing mechanisms for climate action and the acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the Global South, also highlighted Nigeria’s growing commitment to climate governance, climate financing and sustainable development.
Adenekan said Ogun’s investment proposition was strengthened by the development vision of the Dapo Abiodun administration, anchored on the ISEYA pillars, as well as the State’s expanding infrastructure and industrial ecosystem.
He noted that the State’s engagement at the UNGA was part of its broader effort to attract strategic investments, deepen development partnerships and position Ogun as a destination for sustainable investment, innovation and industrial development.
As part of the engagement, Adenekan presented a copy of the Prince Dapo Abiodun administration’s achievements brochure to Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim.
Ibrahim, according to Adenekan, promised to make the publication available as a reference document at the United Nations, Nigeria Office and the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, as well as a guide to investment opportunities in Ogun State.
Also speaking at the event, the Secretary of the UNGA High-Level Global Executive Roundtable and Director-General, Civil Society Organisations on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative (CSCHEI), Chief Kunle Yusuff, highlighted Nigeria’s evolving climate-governance framework and efforts to mobilise climate financing.
Yusuff cited the strategic revitalisation of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), noting its relevance to tackling desertification, improving carbon sequestration, strengthening climate adaptation and enhancing livelihood resilience in vulnerable communities.
He said the initiatives aligned with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Paris Agreement and the country’s obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
According to him, strengthening Nigeria’s climate-financing architecture could help attract green bonds, carbon-credit investments and climate-adaptation financing.
The engagement brought together prominent Nigerian business, diplomatic and public-sector leaders, including Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim; former Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru; Group Managing Director, Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Mr. Abdulrahman Yinusa; Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Hon. Titilayo Oshodi; and Chairman of SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, among other stakeholders.
The Ogun delegation used the engagement to further position the State’s investment opportunities within the broader global conversation on sustainable development, climate finance, innovation and inclusive economic growth.
