…Highlights Ogun Investment Opportunities At AfCFTA Forum
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has told the international community that Ogun State is actively breaking trade barriers through policy and other initiatives aimed at attracting more investments and boost Nigeria’s merchandize trade.
Abiodun made this remark in his contributions during a high-level panel session titled “Investment Showcase: Unveiling Opportunities from Select African & Caribbean Sub-Sovereigns” at the ongoing IATF 2025 in Algiers, Algeria.
Reaffirming Ogun State’s ranking as Nigeria’s leading investment destination, the governor highlighted the pivotal role of sub-nationals can play in driving the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He explained that despite Africa’s enormous potential, intra-continental trade still accounted for only about 15 percent of total trade, largely due to weak infrastructure, cumbersome regulations, and fragmented value chains.
According to him, Ogun State’s blueprint for economic transformation includes multi-modal infrastructure development: the Gateway International Cargo Airport, Ijebu-Ode and Kajola Dry Ports, over 1,200 kilometres of upgraded roads, and expanded gas reticulation networks.
Abiodun listed other components of the blueprint as economic development clusters and free trade zones such as the Remo Economic Development Cluster, anchored by the newly licensed Gateway International Airport; the Ijebu Economic Development Cluster, with proximity to the Dangote Refinery and Agro-Allied Industries; the Agbara Industrial Cluster; the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone; and several other hubs designed to support co-location, shared utilities, and value-chain optimization.
He said his administration had simplified processes for investors through the One-Stop Investment Centre (OgunInvest) and a GIS-enabled Land Bank covering 300,000 hectares of pre-verified land, enabling faster permits, titles, and approvals.
The governor also listed the chief attractions of Ogun State to include policy certainty, with frameworks under the 2019 PPP Law, risk-sharing partnerships with AfDB and IFAD, and structured government-industry dialogue, as well as Ogun State’s strategic location, with seamless access to Lagos ports, ECOWAS markets, and the Benin Republic border for regional distribution.
Abiodun maintained that with these initiatives, his administration had positioned Ogun State as Nigeria’s foremost AfCFTA hub, where scale, speed, and certainty converge to unlock shared prosperity for Africa.
Photo Caption
L-R: Her Excellency Ms. Phophi Constance Ramathuba, Premier of Limpopo Province, South Africa; His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun, Governor of Ogun State, Nigeria; and His Excellency Alhaji Dauda Lawal, Governor of Zamfara State, Nigeria, at the Intra-African Trade Fair held in Algiers