BUA to states: Fix investment climate or lose private capital

By Adewale Sanyaolu

BUA Group has challenged Nigerian state governments to compete more aggressively for private capital by providing the infrastructure, policy stability and regulatory certainty needed to support long-term investment and industrial expansion.

The conglomerate said states could no longer rely solely on public spending to drive economic growth, arguing that stronger government-private sector partnerships were critical to unlocking investment, expanding local production and creating sustainable jobs.

Managing Director of BUA Foods Plc, Ayodele Abioye, stated this at the 2026 Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) Meet the Governor Series in Lagos, where BUA Group was Lead Sponsor and Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Chioma Otti, presented the state’s investment and economic transformation agenda.

The forum, themed “Repositioning Abia for Enterprise, Industrialisation and Sustainable Economic Growth,” brought together policymakers, investors and business leaders to examine what states must do to become more competitive investment destinations.

Speaking on behalf of BUA Group Founder and Executive Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, Abioye said subnational governments had become increasingly important to Nigeria’s efforts to attract investment, drive industrialisation and create jobs.

“Subnational governments are critical to Nigeria’s economic transformation. They are important drivers of infrastructure development, industrial growth, investment attraction and job creation,” he said.

But he warned that investment would follow opportunity only where governments could provide the certainty required for businesses to commit capital over the long term.

“For investors, however, ambition must be matched by the right environment. Transparency, policy consistency, regulatory certainty, security and infrastructure all matter when businesses are making long-term investment decisions,” Abioye said.

The BUA executive said the same principles had guided the group’s investments and expansion across Nigeria, stressing that private capital could play a much larger role in transforming state economies if governments created the right conditions.

“At BUA Group, we firmly believe that sustainable economic development is driven by enterprise, innovation and strategic private-sector participation. This conviction continues to guide our investments and collaborations across Nigeria,” he said.

Abioye commended Otti’s focus on infrastructure, enterprise and institutional reform, saying the Abia conversation had implications beyond the state.
For BUA, he said, collaboration between government and business must go beyond dialogue and translate into investments capable of increasing local production, strengthening value chains, creating employment and deepening economic activity.

Otti, who declared that “Abia is open for business”, used the forum to pitch the state to investors, highlighting opportunities across agribusiness and agro-processing, manufacturing, trade, the creative and digital economy, SME development, inclusive finance and diaspora investment.

The governor said his administration was putting public resources behind the infrastructure required to crowd in private investment, with 80 per cent of Abia’s N1.016 trillion 2026 budget allocated to capital expenditure.

“Enterprise needs infrastructure. Roads move goods, light creates safety, and movement creates commerce. Abia is building the physical platform for investments,” Otti said.

He identified livestock and dairy, cashew and cocoa, rubber processing, garment manufacturing, ceramics, leather and tannery operations, healthcare, tourism, power, transport and logistics among the sectors offering investment opportunities in the state.

President and Chairman of the Council of the NBCC, Prince Abimbola Olashore, said Abia’s entrepreneurial culture, particularly Aba’s established strength in trade, manufacturing and indigenous enterprise, gave the state a strong platform for economic expansion.

Olashore, however, stressed that businesses needed predictable policies, responsive institutions, infrastructure, security and access to markets, describing government and the private sector as complementary partners in creating sustainable economic value.

The event was attended by the British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter; Professor of Economics at Lagos Business School, Prof Bongo Adi; senior policymakers, investors and business leaders.

BUA Group’s sponsorship of the NBCC Meet the Governor Series reflects its continued support for platforms aimed at strengthening engagement between government, investors and the organised private sector.

BUA to states: Fix investment climate or lose private capital

By Adewale Sanyaolu

BUA Group has challenged Nigerian state governments to compete more aggressively for private capital by providing the infrastructure, policy stability and regulatory certainty needed to support long-term investment and industrial expansion.

The conglomerate said states could no longer rely solely on public spending to drive economic growth, arguing that stronger government-private sector partnerships were critical to unlocking investment, expanding local production and creating sustainable jobs.

Managing Director of BUA Foods Plc, Ayodele Abioye, stated this at the 2026 Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) Meet the Governor Series in Lagos, where BUA Group was Lead Sponsor and Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Chioma Otti, presented the state’s investment and economic transformation agenda.

The forum, themed “Repositioning Abia for Enterprise, Industrialisation and Sustainable Economic Growth,” brought together policymakers, investors and business leaders to examine what states must do to become more competitive investment destinations.

Speaking on behalf of BUA Group Founder and Executive Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, Abioye said subnational governments had become increasingly important to Nigeria’s efforts to attract investment, drive industrialisation and create jobs.

“Subnational governments are critical to Nigeria’s economic transformation. They are important drivers of infrastructure development, industrial growth, investment attraction and job creation,” he said.

But he warned that investment would follow opportunity only where governments could provide the certainty required for businesses to commit capital over the long term.

“For investors, however, ambition must be matched by the right environment. Transparency, policy consistency, regulatory certainty, security and infrastructure all matter when businesses are making long-term investment decisions,” Abioye said.

The BUA executive said the same principles had guided the group’s investments and expansion across Nigeria, stressing that private capital could play a much larger role in transforming state economies if governments created the right conditions.

“At BUA Group, we firmly believe that sustainable economic development is driven by enterprise, innovation and strategic private-sector participation. This conviction continues to guide our investments and collaborations across Nigeria,” he said.

Abioye commended Otti’s focus on infrastructure, enterprise and institutional reform, saying the Abia conversation had implications beyond the state.

For BUA, he said, collaboration between government and business must go beyond dialogue and translate into investments capable of increasing local production, strengthening value chains, creating employment and deepening economic activity.

Otti, who declared that “Abia is open for business”, used the forum to pitch the state to investors, highlighting opportunities across agribusiness and agro-processing, manufacturing, trade, the creative and digital economy, SME development, inclusive finance and diaspora investment.

The governor said his administration was putting public resources behind the infrastructure required to crowd in private investment, with 80 per cent of Abia’s N1.016 trillion 2026 budget allocated to capital expenditure.

“Enterprise needs infrastructure. Roads move goods, light creates safety, and movement creates commerce. Abia is building the physical platform for investments,” Otti said.

He identified livestock and dairy, cashew and cocoa, rubber processing, garment manufacturing, ceramics, leather and tannery operations, healthcare, tourism, power, transport and logistics among the sectors offering investment opportunities in the state.

President and Chairman of the Council of the NBCC, Prince Abimbola Olashore, said Abia’s entrepreneurial culture, particularly Aba’s established strength in trade, manufacturing and indigenous enterprise, gave the state a strong platform for economic expansion.

Olashore, however, stressed that businesses needed predictable policies, responsive institutions, infrastructure, security and access to markets, describing government and the private sector as complementary partners in creating sustainable economic value.

The event was attended by the British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter; Professor of Economics at Lagos Business School, Prof Bongo Adi; senior policymakers, investors and business leaders.

BUA Group’s sponsorship of the NBCC Meet the Governor Series reflects its continued support for platforms aimed at strengthening engagement between government, investors and the organised private sector.