By our reporter/ The group managing director and chief executive officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Ebenezer Onyeagwu on Tuesday advocated for increased collaboration of Nigerians in the diaspora to help achieve the country’s economic growth targets.
Onyeagwu, who spoke at the 4th edition of the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit 2021 organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), themed ‘Partnership and Linkages for Post Covid Economic Growth’, said the summit’s theme was apt as it emphasised Nigeria’s need for robust growth following the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, that led to severe macroeconomic shock.
According to him, the diaspora community plays a critical role in their home country’s economic growth and development, adding that the healthcare sector is one area where diaspora investment and intervention are urgently required.
He said, “By leveraging the expertise of our diaspora healthcare professionals in some of the emerging world-class health facilities in Nigeria, such as Evercare Hospital, Ibom Specialist Hospital and Base University Hospital, we can begin to curb the loss of foreign exchange to medical tourism.”
According to the Zenith Bank boss, Nigeria has enormous potential to attract significant diaspora inflow, most of which comes in through informal channels.
As advocated by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of NiDCOM and Emeka Offor, acting executive secretary/chief executive officer, Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission(NIPC), Onyeagwu urged that discussion should move from diaspora remittances to diaspora direct investment.
The GMD also commended the federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for leading with policies that created an enabling environment for investment in Nigeria such as the ‘Naira 4 Dollar Scheme’ which contributed to boosting diaspora remittances by providing incentives for recipients of international money transfers.
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