From Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government has signed an agreement with the City of Brampton in Toronto, Canada, to develop various areas of mutual interest.
The sectors include education, environment, economic development, trade, commerce and investment as well as innovation and cities and urban management.
The deal also covered agriculture and staff training, administrative organisation/local state administration, citizenship, relations between local communities, social agents, economic agents and others as well as energy, culture, tourism, and sports development.
The Bayelsa Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo SAN, signed on behalf of the state while Brampton’s Director of Economic Development, Denise McClure, endorsed it for the city and witnessed by Governor Douye Diri and the Brampton Mayor, Patrick Brown.
This formed part of a three-day Bayelsa-Brampton Trade and Investment Forum held at the Brampton City Hall.
In his welcome remarks, the Brampton mayor described the visit and the meeting as special, saying the city has a huge Nigerian population that has integrated very well in the country and was still eager to give back to their home country.
Brown said having visited Nigeria twice in 2007 and 2019, he looks forward to another visit as a lot of positive developments were happening in the country from tech to economic development, innovation and even Nollywood.
“We have a large Nigerian community in Brampton, about 30,000, and many have been seeking for opportunity of collaboration between our city and states in Nigeria,” Brown said.
“One thing I know about the Nigerian community in Canada is that they are a gift to the country and our city. They love our city and our country but at the same time they have not forgotten their roots.”
He said both parties can explore areas of collaboration in agro-processing, entertainment, innovation, sports and medical technology as Brampton has excelled in these sectors.
“We are very serious about engaging with Nigeria as I think that the decades to come are Nigeria’s moment. As one of Canada’s fastest developing cities, we want to be a part of such success. Our city is saying let us diversity and work with countries that do want to have a hand of friendship. So there is no better time to do this than this moment that encourages such creativity.”
Responding, Governor Diri said Brampton and Bayelsa could do a lot together, noting that bilateral relations thrive when the parties involved were serious about it.
He told his host that Bayelsa was richly endowed in oil and gas, but more of gas, apart from other natural resources.
“Nigeria became an oil producing country because of Bayelsa, where oil was first struck in commercial quantities. Then our state was part of the old Rivers State before it was created in 1996.
“From information available to me, I know that Brampton is good in agro-processing and food security, for which you are ranked number one.
“We are also aware of what you have done in ICT innovation, skills acquisition and your healthcare programmes. In fact, Brampton is rated among the best in the whole of North America in some of these programmes, including your medical university, which we also have in Bayelsa. All these are areas we can partner.
“In Bayelsa, we have also established an ICT hub but it is still new. I believe this is an area we can learn from what Brampton had done.
“Bayelsa is open for investment and we are looking at what can be done in agro-processing and how to develop our oil palm estate, which has immense potential but still at its teething stage. Based on this partnership, we can establish factories and industries that will foster the relationship between Brampton and Bayelsa.”
While thanking the Mayor for the warm reception, the bilateral relationship and the prospects for both parties, Governor Diri directed the Director-General of the Bayelsa Investment Promotion Agency (BIPA), Patience Abah, and her team to liaise with the Brampton team to ensure the details are fleshed out.
He also extended an invitation to the Brampton mayor for a reciprocal visit to Bayelsa.
