By Mick Oseji, Asaba
ASABA — Delta State Governor, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on Tuesday declared that the state could no longer depend solely on oil revenue, calling on local and foreign investors to take advantage of investment opportunities across key sectors as his administration pursues economic diversification.
Speaking at the close of the second day of the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit 2026 in Asaba, the governor said the state was repositioning itself to attract strategic investments capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and ensuring sustainable economic growth.
He said deliberations at the summit underscored the need to expand investments beyond the oil and gas sector, noting that Delta’s untapped potential in agriculture, energy, the blue economy, mining, digital innovation and transport infrastructure could transform the state’s economy.
“We can no longer depend on one source of revenue. We must diversify our economy by attracting strategic investments into sectors where Delta State has a clear comparative advantage. That is the pathway to creating jobs, growing businesses and improving the quality of life of our people,” Oborevwori said.
The governor said the summit was deliberately structured as a private sector-driven initiative aimed at connecting investors with bankable projects rather than serving as a government-centred policy dialogue.
According to him, the role of government is to provide an enabling business environment through investor-friendly policies, improved infrastructure, adequate security and strategic partnerships with the private sector.
Oborevwori disclosed that the state had acquired land and put in place critical measures to facilitate investments in priority sectors, adding that investment roadshows had already been held in China and Brazil to market Delta’s economic potential to global investors.
He stressed that the summit was not a “talk shop” but a practical platform designed to translate investment interests into concrete projects, expressing confidence that partnerships and commitments reached at the event would accelerate industrialisation, expand employment opportunities and strengthen Delta’s position as a preferred investment destination.
Earlier, experts at the summit identified agriculture, livestock, mining, the blue economy and legal reforms as critical sectors for sustainable investments.
Former South-South Vice President of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Chief Eta Enahoro, urged the state government to prioritise investments in fish and poultry production, saying the sectors have significant capacity to create jobs, reduce unemployment and position Delta as a leading agribusiness hub.
He said many young people seeking political appointments could become successful entrepreneurs if supported to establish poultry and fish farms.
Also speaking, Managing Director of Mosra Energy, Ramos Olukayode, disclosed that Delta State has over 200 million tonnes of coal deposits in Obomkpa, Ugbodu and Ukunzu, which he said surpass the estimated reserves in Enugu and Kogi states.
He described the coal deposits as a major asset for the state’s industrialisation agenda and revealed plans to develop a 600-megawatt power plant in Obomkpa, where more than 200 hectares of land have already been secured for the project.
Olukayode added that the area also has substantial kaolin and clay deposits that could support manufacturing activities within the proposed industrial hub.
