The new Minister of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite has assumed duties in the Ministry with a pledge to rebrand the country’s global investment outlook and strengthen its process in line with global best practices.
The Minister said this in her address during the handing and taking over ceremony in Abuja.
The Minister said: “Our Ministry is like a middleman, we are the facilitator to ensure that the Image of the country out there is as friendly as the investment opportunities we have here.
“We would be doing a whole lot of branding and image making for the country.
“We have to re-introduce ourselves to the world to tell the world what we have, to tell them in a way that will make them happy.
“Secondly, to ensure that we show-case the potentials and resources we have in the country, though it’s part of branding but it’s going to be beyond branding.
“It has to do with having the investment opportunities clearly defined with all the necessary process and procedures clearly define to make it easy to access.”
The Minister expressed optimism that with the calibre of human resources in the Ministry, the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of the present administration would be achieved.
She said: “If we only just harness our human resources, I am sure Nigeria will be a great place even without our minerals resources.
“Our human resources is enough to take us to where we were supposed to go”.
“Our work here is to create more jobs, employment, lift people out of poverty line so that small business, micro business, and medium business can grow, ensure that existing industries profit better, expand and grow better.
“This is not the era of borrowing, this is the era of investment, this is the era of open doors to attract investors, to bring people to showcase what we have”.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Evelyn N. Ngige said the Ministry was looking forward to an exciting working relationship with the Minister.
Ngige assured the Minister of her support to oversee the activities of the Ministry ranging from developing economic growth, boosting industrialisation and promoting Micro Small and Medium Enterprises as well as facilitating trade.
