By Chris Ochayi
The decision by the Federal Government to privatise the power sector of the economy has opened a floodgate of investment in the country as foreign and national investors have indicated interests to pump in billions of dollars to revive the nation’s epileptic power sector.

It will be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan in August 2010 set out the Roadmap for Power Sector Reform which has become the framework for boosting power supply nationally. The President further announced that $10 billion of investment is needed to revive the country’s power system.

Following the President’s pronouncement , national experts and international infrastructure community are set to meet in Lagos in November this year, to create partnerships and implement critical development projects in Nigeria on Federal and State levels. To actualised this vision, the Nigeria Infrastructure conference, the most important meeting place for the international infrastructure community is convening a meeting to network and implement critical development projects in Nigeria. A statement issued online yesterday by  Joanna Kotyrba, contact person for The CWC Group, the organiser of  the event, said the event has been officially endorsed by Lagos State Government.

“Nigeria Infrastructure 2010 will be a platform for Arc Nuhu Wya, Minister of State for Power to discuss Government plans for realising power projects through privatisation of the power sector”.

He said, “Professor Barth Nnaji, the Special Adviser on Power will speak about the recently announced N300 billion fund for the power sector and announce further projects. “With confirmed participation from National Inland Waterways Authority senior representatives, Nigeria Infrastructure attendees will be the first to learn about The Niger River Project details and ways of how to get involved.

The Lagos State PPP Office, recently announced by the Lagos State Government as one of its public sector infrastructure financing instruments will assess the role of the State in securing PPP investment as its Director-General, Ayo Gbeleyi will deliver a talk entitled ‘Financing Structures for the Private Sector’ case study.

”The strategic forum, described by Dr Justice Nwobike, Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority’s Legal Director as “a fantastic networking opportunity for the public sector and private investors” will also feature Dr Shamsuddeen Usman,

Hon Minister, National Planning Commission, Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam JP, Administrator, Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority, H.E. Chief Godswill Akpabio, Executive Governor, Akwa Ibom State, Bolanle Onagoruwa, Director General, The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and Eng Mansur Ahmed, Director General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) among many others.

”Nigeria Infrastructure 2010 promises to be the essential forum for international investors to gain insight into the current infrastructure developments in Nigeria. Ministers, senior government officials, local governments’ representatives and international decision makers will be present throughout two days of the conference and one day seminar to network and discuss face to face upcoming projects and contracts.”