Cross River woos investors through AR CSR Conference

The Cross River State Government through its Bureau for Investment Promotions is making strategic plans to attract more foreign direct investment to the state through the 2013 edition of the Africa CEO Roundtable & Conference on Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility, which the state is hosting for the second time.

The event is scheduled to take place from June 20 – 21, 2013, and is organised by ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited.

Leading the pack of potential investors is Africa’s Youngest Billionaire, Ashish J. Thakkar, President, Mara Group who headlines the event as Keynote Speaker.

Business leaders, Entrepreneurs, top Corporate Executives and other experts from within and outside the African continent will converge and discuss issues bordering on innovation and sustainability with special focus on how transformational leadership promotes innovation and encourages youth empowerment and active participation as well as the effects of climate change and the increasingly inadequate natural resources that demand better governance.

Among the speakers are Emmanouil Revmatas Director, HHP, Samsung West Africa; Amin Mousalli, Group Managing Director, AIM Group; Issam Chleuh Founder & Managing Partner, Africa Impact Group; and Segun Ogunsanya, CEO, Airtel Nigeria

Commenting on the conference, Gerald Ada, Special Adviser on Investment Promotion noted that “Cross River State is the destination for business as well as for tourism. Beyond tourism, Cross River State offers a very friendly business environment.”

He further re-iterated that the focus of the Imoke Administration was not only to promote investments, but more importantly, socially responsible and innovative ones.

Cross River State has in the last three years attracted twoFortune 500 companies, General Electric of the United States of America and Wilmar Int’l of Singapore with a combined investment portfolio in excess of $650 million.

Wilmar, in Nov 2012 inaugurated its $400m 50,000 oil palm plantation and has so far employed in excess of 1,500 persons while GE has scheduled 18th june for the launch of their $250m Manufacturing and Assembly plant in Calabar for which the Vice President will be the official guest.