By Bugie Okhuemoi
The recently concluded Edo State Diaspora Investment Summit was a two-day program consisting of two separate events: the ‘Cultural and Governor’s Engagement with Edo in Diaspora’ meeting held on Saturday, 20th September 2025, and the ‘Business and Investment Summit’ which took place on Monday, 22nd September 2025, both in Glasgow, Scotland.
It was a boutique event, organized as part of the efforts of the Edo State Diaspora Agency to engage the diaspora community and foreign partners on new developments in Edo State and the numerous opportunities for investment and wealth creation. With a new administration in place, it had become imperative that Edo citizens outside the homeland can engage directly with the government in face-to-face dialogues, to better understand how they can play their vital role in the growth and development of the state.
Governor Okpebholo, who was in Europe around the same period, recognized the importance of the engagement and made a quick stop at the Cultural Engagement event on Saturday. He used the opportunity to interact directly with attendees, present himself beyond the lens of media perception, and respond to their questions. The session was deeply engaging, marked by honest conversations and candid presentations of the facts and realities on the ground in Edo State. In attendance alongside the Governor were the Secretary to the State Government, the Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment attaché to the Nigerian High Commission, the State Chairman of the ruling APC (on whose program and agenda the government is running) along with several other high-profile government team members and participants from the diaspora.
On Monday the 22nd, the Business and Investment Summit held, bringing together international stakeholders for robust discussions. An exhibition was staged by the Edo Diaspora Agency in partnership with the European-African Chamber of Commerce and Industries. Featured speakers included Amb. Kingsley Obasohan, DG of the European-African Chamber of Commerce and Industries; Hon. Hareter Babatunde Oralusi, Founder of the Nigerian Capital Development Fund; and Dr. Astrid Arens, Founder of VoiceAid Association, Germany. A result from that event is a commitment by The European African Chamber of Commerce and Industries (EuroAfrica CCI) – an assemblage of chambers of commerce in 98 countries made up of highly reputable businessmen, manufacturers, investors and captains of industries drawn from both Europe and Africa- to invest USD $250 million (USD) into Edo State over a period of three to five years in sectors that include Agriculture and Agro-Processing Value Chain, Mining and Solid Minerals Development, Technical Education, Skills Training, and Internship Programmes, and Renewable Energy and Green Infrastructure
Both events are part of the Okpebholo administration’s broader drive to promote a new direction for the state – one built on the ideology of Practical Governance: less bureaucracy, more grassroots and people-centered policies, simplified business-friendly processes, and strong government support to ensure investor comfort.
This is not the adninistration’s first international road-show. It will be recalled that in April 2025, during the World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC, Edo State was the only sub-national government in Nigeria to send a delegation – an effort widely commended. On the sidelines of that meeting, the state organized its first International Investment Summit, where Africa-centric investors were introduced to opportunities across agriculture, solid minerals, energy, and real estate. The government’s delegation included Commissioner of Finance, Emma Okoebor; Special Adviser on Finance, Investments, and Revenue Generation, Kizito Okpebholo; and Executive Director of Policy House, Taiwo Akerele. A key outcome of that engagement was a subsequent visit by the Edo State Diaspora Investment Forum delegation to Benin City to meet with the Governor. The recently concluded Glasgow summit is a direct product of those earlier engagements.
A logical question then arises:
What exactly is the message about Edo being presented to potential investors?
They are told that in agriculture, the first phase of the government’s ‘Back to Farm Initiative’ has seen over 3,000 hectares of land across the three senatorial districts cleared and prepared for the large-scale cultivation of diverse crops, including cassava and maize, with several derivatives sustaining multiple industries. Farmers will be supported with access to land, modern machinery, high-yield seedlings, storage facilities, irrigation systems, and extensive rural access roads – thanks to the newly established Edo State Rural Access Roads Agency. These efforts aim to ease transportation, reduce post-harvest losses, empower local communities, and stimulate large-scale agricultural markets. This creates opportunities for private-sector investments in crop exports, processing factories for FMCGs, and technical/training services- all designed to create thousands of jobs.
Investors are told that with the signing into law of the Electricity Bill 2025, Edo now has a structured, transparent, and stable framework to generate, transmit, distribute, and regulate power. Already, a number of investment proposals in this sector are at advanced stages of processing.
They are told that the Public Private Partnership (PPP) process, which operated by executive order under the last administration, has now been formalized into law. The PPP Bill, awaiting the Governor’s assent, institutionalizes a standardized path for private-sector collaboration with the Edo State government.
Investors also learn that Edo possesses some of the world’s rarest precious stones and minerals – including gold, lithium, dolomite, limestone, and granite – in substantial quantities. To help potential investors bypass the bottleneck of obtaining mining licenses from the Federal Government (which holds exclusive rights), Edo State, leveraging its collaborative relationship with Abuja, has procured 33 mining licenses. The state now welcomes joint venture arrangements on a revenue-sharing model that benefits the government, the investor, and host communities.
They are informed that Edo has become a construction hub, with over 250km of Class B, C, and D road projects currently ongoing. These include two new flyovers designed to ease entry and exit from Benin City, as well as the ambitious 125km Benin–Asaba Superhighway. This clean, well-lit 10-lane road will not only link western and eastern Nigeria but also cement Edo’s place as a central hub for logistics, transportation, commerce, retail, and hospitality.
When questions are raised about security of investments, the government explains its multi-layered measures: over 60 brand new operational vehicles with advanced communication equipment have been provided to security agencies. The Edo State Security Network has been restructured and professionalized, with operatives trained by the military and sister agencies, and deployed on joint patrols. In rural areas, over 300 high-powered motorcycles have been distributed to secure forests and hinterlands. The state has also reviewed and strengthened laws against cultism and kidnapping, imposing stricter penalties. Landlords and property owners are now working hand-in-hand with security agencies to identify criminal elements, while the newly created Anti-Cult Task Force conducts swift and mobile operations in inner cities. These efforts have significantly reduced crime rates, with incidents now on a steep decline.
These, and many more, form the gospel this administration is preaching to audiences with the resources and networks to bring transformative investment to Edo State. Governor Okpebholo himself has been described as a man on a mission – almost divine in its urgency – driven by his deep faith and a sense of accountability not only to the people, but to a higher power. In just ten months, his actions toward birthing a new Edo that uplifts the majority rather than a privileged few have stunned even his critics. Intelligent, fair-minded, grassroots-connected audiences who once doubted him now acknowledge the pace and impact of his leadership.
Governor Monday Okpebholo’s message is clear: Edo is no longer content to wait on promises. it is building its future boldly and practically. From the diaspora halls of Glasgow to the fertile farmlands back home, from boardrooms in Washington DC to the construction sites of Benin City, a new narrative is unfolding. Governor Okpebholo’s gospel of a new Edo is not just words spoken abroad; it is action visible at home, beckoning all who believe in the promise of a greater Edo to come on board.
A New Edo is open for business.
Bugie Okhuemoi is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Edo State Governor
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