Date Published: 08/25/11

We will change Nigeria's Investment Environment -President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said the Administration is committed to changing the country’s investment environment, to encourage an inflow of investors and accelerate job creation.

President Jonathan was speaking to Mr. Harry David, head of Leventis Group World Wide, at State House, Thursday.

He said the Economic Management Team would take a critical look at such things like the duration of visas issued to investors, subject to whatever needs an applicant presents, and change things that need to be changed in order to provide the required environment for visitors.

President Jonathan said there needs to be a change of attitude, asking, “if countries like the United Kingdom can give ten-year visas so that the recipient can come and go as he needs to, why do we restrict ours to two years?”    

He said Government alone cannot turn the economy around, and expressed appreciation to the Leventis Group for investing in agriculture and manufacturing, among other sectors, in the country.

Earlier, Mr. Harry David, head of Leventis World Wide, had told the President that they came to Nigeria in the 1930s, and are involved in manufacturing, packaging, food, power generation, real estate and fleet management.

He said the Leventis Group in Nigeria employs over 13,400 workers directly, with an annual turnover of over N136bn.