Bonny town in Rivers State with estimated $16bn economy or 4% of the national gross domestic product (GDP) has attracted backing of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) which has declared its support and commitment.
NDDC says it will line up behind the three-year strategic programme to transform the historic Bonny Kingdom into a globally competitive tourism destination or the ‘Orange Economy.’
Addressing stakeholders in the tourism industry during the Bonny Island Tourism and Investment Summit, Bonny Island, Samuel Ogbuku, the NDDC Managing Director, said the “Discover Bonny and Orange Economy” initiative reflected a bold and strategic approach to the much-needed economic transformation through enterprise development and investment promotion.
The NDDC boss, represented by Lynna Okara, the Commission’s Director of Commercial and Industrial Development, noted that tourism is not confined to the hospitality sector but is all-encompassing, saying the impact is also on security, communications, finance, education, health, and enhancing economic growth sustainably.
Christened the “Orange Economy,” the tourism summit which was organised by the Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (BCCIMA), anchored on the theme, “Bonny Island: Transforming into a Premier Global Destination.”
Ogbuku commended the leadership of the Bonny Chamber of Commerce for the initiative aimed at mobilising capital, supporting innovation, and creating sustainable opportunities for entrepreneurs and emerging businesses within Bonny and the Niger Delta region.
He observed: “For decades, when the world thought of Bonny, it thought of one thing, namely, what was under the water; not what was on top of it. Oil and gas built roads, schools, jetties that still put food on tables.
“Today, Bonny is doing what the river has always done. It is finding a new path through tourism.
“The mandate of NDDC is centred on facilitating sustainable development, economic empowerment, infrastructural growth, human capital development and inclusive prosperity across the Niger Delta region. Over the years, the Commission has continued to champion programmes that empower youths, women, entrepreneurs, small and medium-scale businesses through skills acquisition, enterprise support, innovation hubs, sponsorship, and strategic partnerships.
“We birthed the Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) in 2023, which is successfully running with a vision whose core mandate includes promoting trade, investment, industrial growth, private sector participation, and regional economic integration.”
The NDDC CEO assured that the Commission was committed to working with economic development institutions, including private investors, to create opportunities that would empower the youths, stimulate enterprise growth, support start-ups, and unlock new economic frontiers.
Speaking at the occasion, Olayiwola Awakan, the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, said that Bonny Island was blessed with many tourism attractions waiting to be exploited.
He said the private-sector approach was necessary to ensure that Bonny’s tourism economy remained commercially viable and was not dependent solely on government funding or political administrations.
Constance Nwokejiobi, President of the Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, said the Orange Economy initiative was designed to complement Bonny’s traditional oil and gas economy with a sustainable tourism industry anchored on the kingdom’s rich cultural heritage, historical sites, natural attractions and hospitality potential.
According to her, the initiative will establish a Tourism Concierge Platform, a structured partnership framework for investors and a privately driven Tourism Centre to coordinate tourism activities and attract investment.
“Tourism is Nigeria’s Orange Economy, a creative and service-driven growth engine capable of diversifying and expanding our national GDP beyond oil and gas,” she said.
Speaking at the occasion, the traditional ruler of Grand Bonny Kingdom, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, declared that “Bonny is a kingdom with a proud history, endowed with oil and gas resources.”
The monarch noted that Bonny Kingdom was contributing significantly to the Nigerian economy through its oil and gas investments, stressing that tourism could provide a second, more sustainable economic pillar for the area.
Discover Bonny Initiative ended in a three-day economic and investment summit targeting tourism. It attracted top investors from the energy industry as well as institutional partnerships. There is also a plan to link Bony with the Caribbean nations to reignite the trans-Atlantic route of old.
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Facts Only
* Bonny town has an estimated $16 billion economy or 4% of national GDP.
* The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has declared support for the transformation of Bonny Kingdom.
* The objective is to transform the historic Bonny Kingdom into a globally competitive tourism destination or the ‘Orange Economy’ over three years.
* Samuel Ogbuku, NDDC Managing Director, addressed stakeholders at the Bonny Island Tourism and Investment Summit.
* Tourism impact extends beyond hospitality to security, communications, finance, education, health, and economic growth.
* The summit was anchored on the theme, “Bonny Island: Transforming into a Premier Global Destination.”
* Constance Nwokejiobi, President of BCCIMA, proposed establishing a Tourism Concierge Platform and a privately driven Tourism Centre.
* Tourism is described as Nigeria’s Orange Economy, a service-driven growth engine to diversify the GDP beyond oil and gas.
* King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III noted that tourism could provide a second, more sustainable economic pillar alongside oil and gas.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative presented frames economic transformation as achievable through diversification away from resource dependency, using tourism as the central mechanism for this shift—the 'Orange Economy.' The consistent emphasis on enterprise development, skills acquisition, and private sector involvement suggests a pattern where large-scale regional resource wealth is expected to translate into localized, distributed economic agency. The transition from focusing solely on subsurface resources (oil and gas) to leveraging cultural heritage and natural attractions highlights a structural tension: the struggle to redefine value systems within a post-extractive framework.
The call for private sector leadership in tourism development, exemplified by proposing a Tourism Concierge Platform, indicates an acknowledgment that state capacity alone is insufficient; market mechanisms are necessary catalysts. The pattern of institutions (NDDC, BCCIMA, NDCCITMA) being mobilized to support entrepreneurial growth suggests a systemic challenge regarding the distribution and control of wealth generated by regional assets. The assertion that tourism can be a "second, more sustainable economic pillar" positions this development not as an optional luxury but as an essential prerequisite for long-term stability, creating pressure on traditional revenue streams.
What is the true locus of power in defining the 'Orange Economy'? Does empowering entrepreneurs and establishing private coordination centers sufficiently shift control from centralized resource exploitation to localized, sustainable service creation? What are the specific mechanisms by which cultural heritage translates into commercially viable, globally competitive tourism products, beyond aspiration? If the goal is genuine structural change rather than rebranding, how can institutional support ensure that the benefits of this transformation are equally distributed among all segments of the community, particularly ensuring the historical context remains central to the development process?
Sentinel — Human
This text reads as a standard news report summarizing a high-level investment summit by presenting direct statements from various official and private sector participants.