NDCCITMA, MAISTRADE Seal Deal to Unlock Investment in Niger Delta

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) and Maistrade Multipurpose Cooperative Federation Limited (MAISTRADE), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost investment, agribusiness, value-chain development and access to finance in the Niger Delta.

The agreement, signed by NDCCITMA Chairman, Idaere Gogo-Ogan, and President/Chief Vision Officer of MAISTRADE, Benjamin Aduli, is aimed at identifying, mobilising, aggregating and facilitating access to investment, development finance and market opportunities for credible agribusinesses, cooperatives, micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) and value-chain projects across the region. Under the partnership, NDCCITMA will serve as a strategic regional access and mobilisation partner for eligible businesses and cooperatives.

It will also support the identification and preliminary referral of credible enterprises and projects, while facilitating engagement with relevant private-sector, public-sector and institutional stakeholders.

The agreement stated that the partnership reflects the organisations’ commitment to “poverty reduction, job creation and development of small and medium scale enterprise in the region.”

MAISTRADE, on its part, will provide digital registration, project intake and profiling infrastructure, while establishing and managing a digital project pipeline and relevant data structure.

The cooperative federation will also support project categorisation and aggregation, coordinate engagements with investors, development finance institutions and strategic partners, and facilitate the integration of qualified opportunities into appropriate MAISTRADE platforms and programmes.