Bring Your Money Home” — NEPZA Woos Diaspora Investors with 100% Profit Repatriation Deal.
The Federal Government is intensifying efforts to attract Nigerians living abroad to invest back home, with fresh assurances that businesses operating in the country’s free trade zones can take out all their profits without restrictions.
Leading the charge is the Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Olufemi Ogunyemi, who urged diaspora investors to explore the vast opportunities available in Nigeria’s free trade zones.
The call was made during a series of high-level meetings held in the United Kingdom alongside the recent visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, where Nigerian officials sought to deepen trade and investment relations with British partners.
In a statement issued by NEPZA’s Head of Corporate Communications, Martins Odeh, Ogunyemi said the engagements provided an opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s free zones as prime destinations for foreign direct investment.
According to him, the zones offer a secure and investor-friendly environment supported by incentives aimed at boosting manufacturing and export-driven businesses.
“I urge Nigerians in the diaspora to take advantage of the President’s new, actionable industrial policy by investing in NEPZA free trade zones,” Ogunyemi said, stressing that the 100 percent profit repatriation policy remains one of the most attractive incentives available to investors.
The discussions formed part of activities under the UK–Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP), hosted jointly by UK Trade Minister, Chris Bryant, and Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole.
The meeting brought together policymakers, investors and business leaders to assess progress since the partnership was launched in 2024 and to identify new areas for cooperation.
Ogunyemi also highlighted NEPZA’s role in driving Nigeria’s non-oil export agenda, revealing that the country now has 63 free trade zones hosting more than 700 operating enterprises.
He encouraged both local and foreign investors to tap into the opportunities within the zones, assuring them of policy backing, security and access to wider regional markets.
“We are building a supportive business environment and partnering with key institutions to widen investment opportunities,” he said.
The NEPZA boss further disclosed that recent engagements with European Union missions in Abuja have already sparked interest among foreign investors.
He added that the agency is working closely with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) to strengthen Nigeria’s investment climate.
According to the statement, discussions in the UK also addressed concerns affecting businesses, including regulatory clarity, investor support and improved trade facilitation systems.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in areas such as digital regulation, intellectual property protection and services trade.
NEPZA said early indicators already show rising investor confidence, with several UK companies expressing interest in expanding operations in Nigeria, particularly within the country’s free trade zones.
The agency added that President Tinubu’s diplomatic engagements and ongoing economic reforms are gradually repositioning Nigeria as a competitive destination for global investment.
