Acting Governor of Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, Saturday, had a breakfast meeting with the High Commissioner of Kenya to Nigeria, Ambassador Isaac Parashina where issues of partnership were discussed.
At the meeting which took place at the acting Governor’s Lodge in Asaba, he called for partnership between Kenya and Delta in the area of tourism, agriculture, the oil and gas sector, among others.
He said, “there are tourism sites that this country is blessed with, the vegetation is very good, there are a lot of places that we could develop for tourism purposes, so, I am using this medium to say that your country and mine could look at that area critically.
“We are not only rich in oil and gas in our state, Delta,; there are a lot of oil and gas deposits here, this is probably the state with the highest gas deposit in Nigeria, and probably the whole of Africa, and incidentally this gas deposit is in my own particular enclave, the Ndokwa area, so, companies and businesses from Kenya are welcome.
“Apart from oil and gas, this state is also a very big agrarian society, there is no local government area in Delta that does not engage in farming of various crops.
“Rubber grows very well here, cocoa grows well, and palm trees grow very well here, and of course, our staple food, cassava, banana and plantain grow very very well here as well as several other agricultural products.
“So, that is also another area where I think your country and our state can cooperate for mutual benefits, there are other solid mineral deposits which are unexplored and I know that mining in Kenya is advanced and we will want to encourage companies that are engaged in mining of various solid minerals to visit us in Delta so that we can cooperate with them.
“Again, like you mentioned, when you talk about the entertainment industry, the music and the film industry , Delta is the headquarter of Nollywood in Nigeria”.
The acting governor added that Delta is a praying state and the number one State of the country when it comes to different types of sports.
He urged the ambassador and the international community to take advantage of the receptive nature of the people to invest in the state.
Earlier, Ambassador Parashina who was accompanied on the visit by the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, said, “Delta is one of the states known for huge economy for oil and many other things and most importantly the people.
“I am honoured, this is my first courtesy visit to a state government in Nigeria, thank you for the hospitality.
“We are the same people divided by our geography, when we look at our culture and our form and the way we do things, Africa is one.
“My presence here is an affirmation that Kenya is ready to work with Nigeria in many ways.
“Ours is to seek areas of comparative advantage where Nigeria is doing well in various sectors including oil, art and culture, creative industry.
“In Kenya, we watch a lot of Nigeria Nollywood movies which I know a lot of them are produced here in Delta.
“I will really appreciate if there will be engagement even at this level of government, yhe Kenya County government and departments can come to Delta and learn from this end.”
The President of CAN, Dr Daniel Okoh had said that the Ambassador was in the state as a result of the International Festival for Choral and Traditional Music held in Asaba.
