The ongoing political tension in Rivers state is enough reason why foreign investors are scared of coming into the state for business.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital on the implications of the ongoing festering political crisis in the state, the former Governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Tonye Princewill said the state needs peace to attract the needed investment that will drive its socio-economic growth.
Princewill, who is also a philanthropist noted that the narrative about Rivers state in the international community is negative and that has prevented investors from coming in. The entrepreneur regretted the challenges he had to go through in attracting investments to the state.
He said, at the present, he was bringing in investments in the area of agriculture, health and skills entrepreneurship that will create jobs for people in the state, harping on the need for a peaceful and secured environment to enable. The investors agree to come in and do business.
“I have built quite number of partnerships but I think one of the prominent partnerships that I have built is the American Hospital Dubai. American Hospital Dubai is one of the top hospitals in Dubai and they want to come into Africa.
“I am their partner in sub-saharan Africa and it is my responsibility to take them to Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Angola, you name them.
“I am operating with them across sub Saharan Africa. Their first office is going to be opened in August 12, this year in Lagos. After Lagos, it will be Abuja.
“In fact, if they arrive here in August, their office in Abuja would be getting set. They want to do it very fast. Of course, everybody will say that one of their natural locations should be Port Harcourt, but here I am struggling to convince them that Port Harcourt is the ideal location for them to establish their office.
“I shouldn’t be struggling, it should be a forgone conclusion but because of the crisis in the state and the information that people have at hand about people in Rivers State, it is in negative.
“Hopefully, we will be able to convince them but the reality remains that the arrangement will come here.
“What is the arrangement? That arrangement is that they are going to build a representative office, diagnostic centre, ultimately, a hospital.
“Where they will situate that will be between me and them to put our heads together. Port Harcourt would have been an ideal place. We are not talking about a people who are jokers; they have the money.
“They can bring all the equipments, all the professionals. Rivers State will not be number one on the list if we continue like this.
“Secondly, they are going to train our people; doctors are nurses. The have already told me to give them 20 names of nurses and doctors to start training immediately.
“But I said no, when you open the office and we see our relationships, then, we will see who to send.
“I am not the kind of person who would put my brothers’ names and my sisters’ names to send. So, they are going to build capacity, they are going to help us.
“You see, Dubai used to go to London for treatment, but now, Londoners come to Dubai for treatment. We need to do the same thing here.”
