Oyetola inaugurates Nigerian-American chamber of commerce in Osogbo
By Abimbola Abatta
Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Tuesday, inaugurated the state Chapter of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce in Osogbo, the capital city.
At the inauguration ceremony of the pioneering members held at the De-Distinguished Event Hall, Oyetola explained that the Chamber of Commerce has been at the forefront of fostering trade and investment between Nigeria and the United States of America, strategically addressing business relations between the two countries.
The Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Prince Oluwole Oyebamiji stressed that at this time of global economic meltdown and challenges, Osun is privileged to inaugurate tested and trusted hands in business, trade and commerce as distinguished members of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce under the chairmanship of Engr Kolawole Obisakin.
He maintained that his government is in a hurry not only to get its economy right but to champion sustainable economic development for the State, adding that this necessitated him to organise the Osun Economic Summit in the year 2019, as a foundation for the economic transformation of the State.
According to Governor Oyetola, the Summit which had over 1,000 participants, of both local and international partners in attendance, was followed with establishment of the Osun Investment and Promotion Agency (OSIPA) as well as establishment of four business concerns in the State, while other partners are coming in droves to sign Memoranda of Understanding to partner with the State
The Governor said, “We are entrenching good governance by applying probity and blocking wastage and loopholes to get funds to establish projects and put our economy on a sound footing.
“We are latching on the economic diversification policy introduced by the Federal Government to look inward and exploit our resources in the production sector. Catching on the principle of comparative advantage, we have positioned the State’s critical sectors, including Agriculture, Tourism and Mining, to radically revolutionize our economy to ensure economic sustainability.”
While urging the new members to brace up as Osun looks forward to learning and benefiting from their experiences, Governor Oyetola said, “the State is striving to lift the economy out of volatility and provide services for the people, using the creative dynamics of managing a depressed economy without resulting to borrowing.”
In her welcome remarks, the National President of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, Mrs Dame Adebola Williams said the inauguration of the Osun State Chapter will enhance a key value of the Chamber in terms of upliftment of culture to boost the tourism and make it a key contributor to Gross Domestic Production (GDP).
Mrs Williams maintained that Nigerian-American Chamber of commerce is an accredited Trade Resource Centre as well as an affiliate of Civil Society Organisation Network that has made significant inroad and recording success on various initiatives.
She, however, disclosed that the Chamber is now closer to the United States mission in Nigeria as regards collaboration on programmes and meeting membership expectations.
The highlight of the event was the decoration of the 24 Executive Members of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce.
