BUA calls for stronger State-Private Sector Partnerships at NBCC Meet The Governor Series

BUA Group, Nigeria’s leading foods, manufacturing, infrastructure and mining conglomerate, has called for deeper collaboration between Nigeria’s state governments and the private sector to unlock investment, accelerate industrialisation and create sustainable economic opportunities across the country.

BUA Group made the call at the 2026 Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) Meet the Governor Series in Lagos, where BUA served as Lead Sponsor and the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, presented his administration’s economic transformation and investment agenda.

The conversation, themed “Repositioning Abia for Enterprise, Industrialisation and Sustainable Economic Growth,” centred on a question increasingly important to Nigeria’s economic future: how states can create the infrastructure, institutions and policy environment required to attract productive private capital.

Speaking on behalf of the Founder and Executive Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, CFR, CON, the Managing Director of BUA Foods Plc, Engr. Ayodele M. Abioye, said Nigeria’s economic transformation would increasingly depend on the capacity of its states to become competitive destinations for investment.

“Subnational governments are critical to Nigeria’s economic transformation. They are important drivers of infrastructure development, industrial growth, investment attraction and job creation,” Abioye said.

“For investors, however, ambition must be matched by the right environment. Transparency, policy consistency, regulatory certainty, security and infrastructure all matter when businesses are making long-term investment decisions.”

He added that this principle has informed BUA Group’s approach to investment and expansion across Nigeria.

“At BUA Group, we firmly believe that sustainable economic development is driven by enterprise, innovation and strategic private-sector participation. This conviction continues to guide our investments and collaborations across Nigeria.”

Governor Otti, who declared that “Abia is open for business,” used the forum to set out the state’s proposition to investors, identifying opportunities across agribusiness and agro-processing, trade and markets, the creative and digital economy, manufacturing and industrialisation, SME development, inclusive finance, and diaspora investment and innovation.

He said his administration was deliberately directing public resources towards creating the conditions in which private enterprise could thrive, with 80 per cent of Abia State’s ₦1.016 trillion 2026 budget allocated to capital expenditure.

According to the Governor, infrastructure remains central to that strategy. “Enterprise needs infrastructure. Roads move goods, light creates safety, and movement creates commerce. Abia is building the physical platform for investments,” Otti said.

He also highlighted investment opportunities in livestock and dairy, cashew and cocoa, rubber processing, garment manufacturing, ceramics, leather and tannery operations, healthcare, tourism, power, transport and logistics, alongside planned industrial and commercial developments.

Abioye commended the Governor’s emphasis on enterprise, infrastructure and institutional reform, noting that the conversation in Abia reflected a wider imperative for states across Nigeria.

For BUA, he said, productive collaboration between government and business must ultimately translate into investments that expand local production, strengthen value chains, create employment and deepen economic activity.

He reaffirmed BUA’s willingness to continue engaging governments and credible institutions committed to building sustainable environments for enterprise and long-term investment.

The President and Chairman of the Council of the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, Prince Abimbola Olashore, said Abia’s entrepreneurial culture, particularly Aba’s longstanding strength in trade, manufacturing and indigenous enterprise, provided a strong base for further economic expansion.

He stressed that businesses require predictable policies, responsive institutions, infrastructure, security and access to markets, while describing government and the private sector as complementary partners in the creation of sustainable economic value.

The event was also attended by the British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter; Professor of Economics at Lagos Business School, Prof. Bongo Adi; senior policymakers, investors and business leaders.

BUA Group was recognised by the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce as the Lead Sponsor of the 2026 Meet the Governor Series, underscoring the Group’s continued support for platforms that advance constructive engagement between government, investors and the organised private sector.

About BUA Group

BUA Group is one of Africa’s leading manufacturing, mining, foods, and infrastructure conglomerates with its headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. Established in 1988 by industrialist Abdul Samad Rabiu, BUA has significant investments in mining and infrastructure, including Cement Manufacturing, Construction, Real Estate, Plaster Production, and Quarrying & Mining.