Ondo State government, led by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, is scheduled to hold a diaspora summit with the objective of arranging resources for swift and enduring local development.

The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs (OSSAP-SDGs) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) are assisting in the organization of the summit through the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) Phase II program, which is being led by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Economy.

Panel discussions at the Summit will cover subjects pertaining to investment prospects in the state and how the diaspora can take advantage of them for a win-win commercial and development outcome.

The summit, which is slated to take place virtually on December 2 and 9, 2023, will bring together prominent government figures and specialists in investment and development.

Opportunities within the state will be highlighted, and the diaspora community will be urged to take advantage of them, especially in vital fields like infrastructure, technology, healthcare, education, and agriculture.

The initiative recognizes the vital contributions made to the nation’s development by the Nigerian diaspora community. Through official channels, Nigeria received $21.9 billion in diaspora home remittances last year, which was four times the amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

Speakers for the virtual event are slated to include seasoned investors and development experts, prominent members of the diaspora, entrepreneurs, senior federal and state government officials, and representatives of international development partners.

The summit, according to the state’s commissioner for regional integration and diaspora relations, Hon. Boye Ologbese, is proof positive that the Akeredolu-led administration is genuinely committed to improving ties between the state and its diaspora.

Leading the summit’s organization, Mr. Gbenga Badejo, Director-General of the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA), voiced hope that the gathering would serve as a forum for progressive dialogues.

The creation of meaningful partnerships, the encouragement of investments and development, and the creation of creative solutions to problems essential to the state’s progress will all be made possible by the Summit, Badejo continued.