- The Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie (1st left); the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku (1st right); and the Chairman of NDCCITMA, Idaere Ogan (middle), with other delegates during the inaugural Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre in Port Harcourt
By Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, Sept 15, 2026
PORT HARCOURT — Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called on state governments across the Niger Delta to urgently establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to accelerate industrialisation and position the region as Nigeria’s next economic hub alongside Lagos.
Speaking at the inaugural Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit held at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Okonjo-Iweala noted that while the region possesses the necessary ingredients for growth, crude oil and natural resources alone cannot guarantee sustainable development.
She urged regional leaders to address systemic challenges, including inefficient port operations, poor maintenance culture, weak digital infrastructure, high trade costs, and project execution delays.
”The situation of the Niger Delta people is far from satisfactory. The region needs to try and do better. We have a few things going on for us as a region. NDCCITMA can take the lead and attract investors. The region can position itself to become a trade hub because our region is endowed.”
— Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, WTO
Strategic Alignment & Regional Initiatives
The summit brought together key regional stakeholders, investors, and policymakers to move the Niger Delta away from oil dependency toward a productive economic model.
For decades, the Niger Delta has remained the backbone of Nigeria’s national revenue due to its rich crude oil reserves.
However, the region has long suffered from environmental degradation, underdeveloped infrastructure, local unemployment, and severe capital flight—where multinational energy companies extract wealth without generating proportional local economic benefits.
The inaugural summit signals a coordinated effort by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the newly operational Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) to shift the economic paradigm.
By promoting regional synergy over isolated state projects, the region aims to build shared infrastructure—such as joint power grids, cross-border highways, and industrial free zones—to convert raw resource wealth into sustainable industrial production.