OGFZA MD’s Message to Oil and Gas Stakeholders/Investors during the unveiling of OGFZA’s Roadmap for 2017-2019

WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO OF THE OIL & GAS FREE ZONES AUTHORITY, MR. UMANA OKON UMANA TO THE STAKEHOLDERS’ FORUM ORGANISED BY THE AUTHORITY ON THURSDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 2017 AT THE ONNE OIL & GAS FREE ZONE, ONNE, RIVERS STATE

It is my pleasure and singular honour to welcome you all to this Stakeholders’ Forum, which is a very important event in the Strategic Plan of the Oil & Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA).

We are particularly pleased that you have made it a duty to honour us with your esteemed presence this day in spite of your busy schedules. And it is a thing of immense joy for all of us at OGFZA that the Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment is with us today at this event. We want to say thank you Honourable Minister for this singular honour which no doubt underscores the strong support of Government for OGFZA and our effort to achieve the Mandate of the Authority.  We are also honoured to have the Honourable Minister of Transport and the Honourable Minister of State, Petroleum Resources at the Forum.

Also, I would like to thank our colleagues from the various federal agencies, the management of Intels, our other valued Clients and Investors, for turning up to honour our invitation.

Please permit me to commend the Honourable Minister, Industry, Trade & Investments for his untiring support to the OGFZA and the work being done by the Presidential Committee on the Ease of Doing Business (EDB) in Nigeria. We at the OGFZA aim to fully align with the EDB reforms to ensure that all the oil and gas free zones in Nigeria become prime investment destinations.

I am truly honoured and indeed privileged to be given an opportunity to share the dream of our team seeking to re-position OGFZA as a premier government agency for the promoting, securing and sustaining investments in the Nigerian oil and gas sector in line with our institutional mandate and the vision of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

This forum offers us a platform to introduce the new leadership of the Authority to our Stakeholders and show them the way in which we intend to work together to recreate OGFZA and rebuild prosperity for all in successful partnerships between Government and private investors in the Free Zones.

The path to the new OGFZA is well laid out in our Roadmap which we are unveiling today, along with our Marketing Brochure to guide existing and potential investors to the array of incentives available in our Free Zones. The Roadmap is a product of our vision to be the premier investment promotion agency of government by facilitating the establishment of businesses in the Oil and Gas Free Zones with the creation of an enabling environment for investment.

We at OGFZA wish to assure all federal agencies operating within the various oil & gas zones of our preparedness to pursue constructive dialogue and partnerships that will deliver fruitful and win-win collaboration. This is the course we intend to pursue.

Finally, perment me to reiterate that our Roadmap document will usher in a new era in the Oil and Gas Free Zones. We will improve the ease of doing business; we will improve overall service delivery to our clients in line with global best practices; we will make the Free Zones the first ports of call for investors who are looking for the best opportunities in Africa, to either expand their existing businesses or start new ventures.

We are thus at the threshold of a new future that will take the continuing support of Government and the commitment of all Stakeholders to build.

Once again, on behalf of the Management and Staff of OGFZA, I welcome you all to Onne.

Thank you.