Mr Ekos Akpokabayen, the Chief Investment Officer of Ovid Capita, a private equity and investment company based in the U.K., says his organisation is planning to build an Eco-City in Lagos.
Akpokabayen, who made the disclosure on Tuesday on telephone from Johannesburg, South Africa, said the company’s focus was to attract investment into Africa.
” We have acquired 3,900 hectares of land in Osolu area of Lagos State.
” We want to build an Eco-City with a resort, power plant, community centre and a hospital in the area.
“This will take time and we are already working on 100 hectares. We plan to finish 600 hectares of land in five years.
“Ovid Capita believes that Africa needs capital and not aid,’’ he said.
According to him, the company’s focus on sustainable development is in line with the United Nations goal and impact investing.
He also disclosed that Hanson Niels, a Danish businessman, has joined the company to help promote investment in Africa.
Akpokabayen said Niels would be in charge of Finance and Investment in the Nordic region.
`Niels is a humanitarian concerned with development in Nigeria and Africa.
” Our company’s Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Anakwue, and I met him in Denmark.
” His dream is to help Africa grow.
“The message is that his company has world outreach and understands the progress some countries have made and the difficulties in others and how to get different individuals in different parts of the world to work together for a common good where we all can learn from each other,’’ he said.
Akpokabayen further said that the company was of the belief that capital lies in abundance in most European countries.
“And while we want this capital in Africa, we also know that they can learn from us as well.
” They need our culture and understanding so that we can have synergy.
“For those who want to invest in the company, it also gives them the confidence that it has a lot of diversity,’’ Akpokabayen said.
