Port Harcourt — The Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) has sealed a partnership deal with the Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China to boost tourism and entertainment.
The move was aimed at rebooting the economy of the State and improve Ease of Doing Business (EoDB).
The partnership sealed after the Rivers State Economic and Investment Summit which ended on May 23, 2024, was unveiled at an event in Port Harcourt, yesterday, where the Director-General (DG) of the RSTDA, Mr. Yibo Koko, gave details of what he described as "low hanging fruits initiative to tap into obvious advantages."
Koko presented the Chief Executive Officer of the Housing and Construction Limited, China who has demonstrated capacity to join in the task as a partner in the project.
It was gathered that some banks have also indicated interest in partnering with the agency to achieve the objective of the Governor Siminalaye Fubara's administration in the tourism sub-sector.
It was further gathered that tourism alone could reset the economy, based on what worked for the State in years past when the city led other states and cities in entertainment and tourism.
The DG of the RSTDA, who spoke on the gains of the Rivers State Economic Summit and the Creative Art, said the Mayor of Housing was part of the panel on creative economy and his participation led to the decision to go back and start from the 'Low Hanging Fruits Initiative'.
"The RSTDA wants the many good things happening in the state to be brought up deliberately. The state government wants entrepreneurs and investors to be the ones driving wealth creation and the growth of the economy," he added.
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Speaking, the Mayor of Housing, China expressed excitement over the partnership with the RSTDA.
He said: "I started estate business in Abuja. In 2021, we wanted to extend to Port Harcourt, but the first thing the CEO of our company then told me was all about insecurity in the Garden City and all the associated hypes. He asked me how I would need over five Mopol (military police operatives) to move about in Port Harcourt.
"The narrative then was that Port Harcourt was unstable and unsafe. We argued and agreed I would be the one to go, and if I was killed, he would stay away."
He expressed belief that collective efforts in tourism and entertainment would bring about huge development and positively impact on the economy of the state.
