By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The management team of global ridehailing platform, Uber, has met with Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, to discuss ways to strengthen ties and explore areas of investment in the state.
The business meeting took place at the Government House, in Benin City, after the governor resumed from a one-month annual leave.
Present at the parley were the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Taiwo Akerele; Commissioner for Infrastructure, Mr Osahon Amiolemen; Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Diaspora Affairs, Mr Osaze Osemwingie-Ero; Managing Director, Edo Geographic Information Service Agency (EdoGIS), Mr Frank Evbomwan; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Job Creation and Skills Development, Mrs Ukinebo Dare; and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Investment Promotion, Mr Kelvin Uwaibi, among others.
The visit from the Uber team is coming barely five months after its industry rival, Taxify, commenced operations in Benin City, the state capital.
The Governor has embarked on an all-out campaign to attract investors to the state in a bid to reconfigure the local economy into an industrial hub and provide jobs for its teeming youthful population.
The governor harped on the state’s commitment to guarantee the sanctity of contracts and agreements, protect genuine investors and provide a conducive environment for industries to thrive.
Edo State has piqued the interest of local and global technology companies on the back of Governor Obaseki’s determined effort to turn the state into an investment hub, opening up economic zones and innovation hubs to attract investors.
In the last few months, global tech giant, Facebook, and MainOne have been fortifying internet infrastructure in the state with the laying of fibre optic cables across Benin City, to improve internet access and provide the much-needed support for the state’s growing tech ecosystem.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Adedapo Adesanya