A group of investors from the United States of America (USA), China and Taiwan under the aegis of Phoenix Group has expressed their readiness to invest in the abandoned Nigerian News­print Manufacturing Company, Oku-Iboku and the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State.

The group led by Chiu-Ling Wang, President of Interna­tional Affairs for Phoenix Group toured the moribund industrial sites in the state and assured the people that revitalisation of NNMC and EPZ will be accomplished.

Wang said: “We will bring re­sources from all over the world to ensure that these invest­ments are properly kick started to serve the public and make profit.
“We will do our best for the country and Akwa Ibom State, we will return within 30-90 days with all we need to kick start the turning around of these indus­tries and will pick more areas of investment when the first two succeeds,” Wang said.

Also, the facilitator of the investors’ visit and Chairman, Gestrics Group Limited, Dr Chris Ekpenyong, noted that Akwa Ibom State is blessed with a lot of solid minerals and yearning for investors to come and leverage on them.

Ekpenyong, a former deputy governor of the state explained that Governor Udom Emman­uel is keen about industrialising the state which prompted his commitment towards ensuring the success of the governor’s vi­sion for the state.

According to Ekpenyong, “I have seen a man with vision and one desirous of industrial­ising our state, I want to thank the governor for encourag­ing the coming of the Phonix Group to undertake a study of where to invest in Akwa Ibom State.

“We have various discussions to develop a realistic framework on how to move the desired investments opportunities for­ward and they have keyed into the EPZ zone in Ikot Abasi and the NNMC in Oku Iboku.

“While they progress in revit­alising these ones, we will move ahead and get them to invest in many others. My company, Gestric Group is the facilitator of their visit in collaboration with the foreign Direct Invest­ment office of the state”.

The former deputy governor highlighted, “we have defined our responsibilities and goals. We are to offer the local content to Phonix Group to help them develop their business success­fully in Akwa Ibom State.

“They have agreed to com­mence work within 30-90 days from now. The office of the for­eign Direct Investment of the state has asked us to collaborate to ensure the success of their coming to invest in the state as a co-promoter of the invest­ment drive.”

On his part, the Special Ad­viser to Governor Emmanuel on Foreign Direct Investment, Mr Gabriel Ukpe, said the com­ing of the Phonix Group is the beginning of the long beneficial relationship between the state and the international investors.