Nigeria's Vice President heads to Silicon Valley and Hollywood

Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is visiting Silicon Valley this week. According to an official statement, the VP is leading a public-private sector collaborative investment roadshow to the United States, where he will be speaking to global industry leaders in information technology and entertainment at the Silicon Valley in San Francisco and Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, from Monday, July 9 to Wednesday, July 11, 2018.

Prof. Osinbajo would be joined on the investment roadshow by members of the recently inaugurated Advisory Group on Technology and Creativity – an integral part of the National Industrial Policy & Competitiveness Advisory Council – primarily to showcase the continued improvement in Nigeria’s business environment to entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders in both American cities.

Accompanying the Vice President during the trip would be the Honourable Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okey Enelamah; Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu; senior government officials from the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council, Nigeria Export Promotion Council Ease of Doing Business Secretariat among others.

During the trip, Prof. Osinbajo is expected to emphasize on a number of the Buhari administration’s policies such as the Ease of Doing Business reforms, which have improved the country’s ranking in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index 2017.

During the US trip, the Vice President will also visit the Headquarters of some leading global technology companies.

There will also be sessions with investors, Fund Managers and large US technology companies, as well as presentations by the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), the Bank of Industry (BOI), and the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat.

Other aspects of the Vice President’s trip will be to showcase to the world the progress and strides in the country’s technology, innovation and creative space by Nigerian technology start-ups and entertainment industry practitioners.

A statement also revealed the visit would also focus on collaboration between Nigerian and US companies in the areas of technology and entertainment, including further cooperation between Nigeria’s film industry, Nollywood, and US Hollywood in the areas of production, distribution and content protection.

Another objective of the investment mission is to attract Africans in the Diaspora to mentor and support start-ups in Nigeria.

The Vice President will be returning to the country on Thursday, July 12.