Aiyedatiwa urges UK partnership, seeks investment in Ondo’s Cocoa, minerals, blue economy
Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has called on British investors to explore the state’s natural and economic potential, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to deepen development collaboration with the United Kingdom.
The Governor made the appeal on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, when he received the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Jonny Baxter, and his team at the Governor’s Office in Akure.
In a statement signed by Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Dr Aiyedatiwa described Ondo as a “land of vast opportunities”, noting that it remains Nigeria’s largest cocoa producer, contributing about 40 per cent of the nation’s total output.
He said Ondo is equally rich in bitumen, coal, gold, gas, and vast arable land for agriculture.
He said: “This is the land of cocoa. It was from cocoa that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo developed the Western Region, building Africa’s first television station, the Cocoa House and several other infrastructures. Ondo is still leading in cocoa production today.”
The Governor said the state’s population of 5.3 million and its N5.1 trillion GDP rank it seventh among Nigeria’s 36 states.
He added that Ondo’s 15,500-square-kilometre landmass and longest coastline in Nigeria make it a strategic gateway for international trade.
He disclosed that plans were underway to develop a deep seaport to drive exports and unlock the state’s blue economy potential.
Dr Aiyedatiwa noted that Nigeria’s engagement with the UK had evolved from colonial and donor dependency into a partnership driven by mutual investment and institutional collaboration.
Commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, he said the policies were beginning to stabilise the economy and enable states like Ondo to perform better financially.
The Governor also highlighted his administration’s new one-stop investment office designed to assist investors from documentation to full operations, while assuring that Ondo has strengthened its security architecture to ensure a stable business environment.
He cited major industrial projects such as a modular refinery and an upcoming chemical plant backed by investors through the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA).
In his response, the British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Jonny Baxter, said his visit aimed to identify new areas of collaboration and investment between the United Kingdom and Ondo State.
Baxter, who commended the state’s economic vision, said the UK’s engagement with Nigeria had shifted from aid to direct investment partnerships.
He added that the BII was also supporting Nigerian banks to lower interest rates and expand credit access to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), noting that affordable capital was key to driving local industrial growth.
“If we can reduce the cost of capital, more Nigerian businesses will grow stronger and drive economic development,” he added.
Baxter said the UK government was keen to study Ondo’s public-private partnership framework to identify areas where British institutions could support the state’s economic priorities.
Among top government officials in attendance were the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami; Speaker, State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji; Chief of Staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa; Head of Service, Mr Bayo Philip; and Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Olukayode Ajulo, among others.