Also available
Interview:
Corporate Nigeria (CN) talks to
Chief Timipre Sylva
Executive Governor, Bayelsa State
Seeking More PPP to Achieve Sustainable Development
CN: Ever since you came to office in 2007 you have been committed to developing the infrastructure in the State in order to provide large corporations, especially in the Oil and Gas sector, with the environment necessary for relocating their administrative and operational bases to Bayelsa State. What is the current status of the Yenagoa Central Business District?
Chief Timipre Sylva: In order to grow the economy in the State, we need a vibrant private sector, and the private sector will only consider Yenagoa if the infrastructure is in place. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and because we used to be part of Rivers State, Port Harcourt was traditionally the location of choice for headquarter in the Niger Delta. So in order to make Bayelsa an attractive location for large-scale investments we have to make it business-friendly and convenient, which is the main concept behind the Yenagoa Central Business District (CBD). The CBD will provide electricity, telecom lines and Internet facilities, as well as roads of course. As soon as that is done, investors are welcome to take up land and set up their businesses. Also, the major oil companies have told us that it would only make sense for them to move their administrative offices to Yenagoa if they can also move their operational bases from Port Harcourt to Yenagoa; therefore we decided to expand the CBD to also include a supply base. So far the response of the private sector has been very positive.
In respect to power, we currently have two turbines operating, which are providing the State with 20 Mm,mW power. There is one other turbine on ground, which is waiting to be installed. Once that turbine is installed, we should be able to stabilize power.
In order to improve access to the state you are currently developing the international airport as well as the seaport. What is the scope of the two projects and what is the current status?
The airport project has already started. The clearing and all related studies have been done, as well as the designs. Having a functional airport in Yenagoa is going to be a critical factor in attracting investments to the state, and we are also making provisions for it to be a cargo airport. Bayelsa is strategically placed; Yenagoa is equidistant to Port Harcourt and Warri, and to the South there is the Atlantic Ocean where most of the offshore work is taking place. Most of the cargos that come into Nigeria are for the oil and gas industry; therefore we believe that a cargo airport is going to give Bayelsa a competitive advantage. We are currently partnering with the Federal Government as it is a massive development that the State cannot handle on its own.
As for the seaport, we decided to partner with Brass LNG to expand the scope of their seaport. Apart from Lagos, the seaport in Bayelsa is the only one that is open to the ocean; every other port in Nigeria is inland. Brass LNG has a free zone status, which means that the seaport will enjoy the same benefits. In addition to that, the Federal Government is also building an inland port as part of the mitigation of the problems caused by the dredging of the River Niger, which gives us the opportunity to create the supply base for the CBD.
