The Bayelsa state Government has said it will leverage on the private sector investment to drive economic growth in the state.

The Commissioner for Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment in the state, Hon. Kemela Okara said this while briefing journalists on the forth coming Second Bayelsa State Economic Summit schedule to hold from July 29th to July 31st in Yenagoa, the state capital.

He said the reason for organising the forum is to show that the state is open for businesses as well as investments. “We felt it is important coming from the backdrop of what used to be Bayelsa State before the amnesty when Bayelsa was known for things like militancy, pipeline vandalism, kidnapping and other violent crimes.

“So, coming from that background, post amnesty, the government of His Excellency, Seriake Dickson saw very clearly that there was need to communicate that Bayelsa is open for business, that Bayelsa welcomes investors and that the state is serious about growing the local economy.

And one of the ways that was clear to us to communicate that effectively was to organize a forum where investors can meet with government officials and can meet with the local private sector in Bayelsa State and can have discussions focused on how to establish businesses in specific focus areas.” He said.

The forum was first held in 2014 and had over 800 delegates.  According to Okara, the forum had already started producing tangible results as the state recently penned a N19.8 billion contract with Kesio Associates Nigeria Limited, one of the companies that participated in the maiden edition of the forum, to build a 5,000 unit stalls of building materials market to serve the entire Niger Delta region.