NEPZA’s Managing Director, Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi, made the appeal on Friday during a lecture titled “Free Zones and Industrial Competitiveness: Catalysing Investment Through Regulatory Innovation” at a side event of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, themed “Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria: A New Era of Economic Opportunities.”

Ogunyemi described Nigeria’s free zones as business-friendly enclaves designed for industrial growth and scalable investments. 

He urged U.S. investors to visit zones like Lagos Free Zone, Lekki Free Zone, and Abuja Industrial Park Free Zone to explore existing infrastructure and anchor tenants. 

He highlighted opportunities for partnerships in anchor projects to support small and medium enterprises, create jobs, and boost local procurement.

He also emphasized prospects for co-financing shared infrastructure to enable tenant investments and scale up export production. 

Ogunyemi assured investors of NEPZA’s support through due diligence, regulatory clarity, and structured facilitation to turn dialogues into commitments.

Ogunyemi noted that NEPZA has implemented world-class mechanisms, including infrastructure development and regulatory predictability, to enhance the zones’ industrial competitiveness. 

He emphasized on the Federal Government’s commitment, through NEPZA, to leveraging private capital for infrastructure in both private and public-private partnership zones as engines of rapid economic transformation.

He encouraged investors to view Nigeria’s vast market as a launchpad for regional and international exports. 

Ogunyemi expressed gratitude to the Presidency for including NEPZA in the UNGA delegation and to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) for facilitating engagement with U.S. investors.