FTZ: NEPZA seeks FIRS partnership to attract block-chain technology coys

The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has said that it is in the process of rolling out policies that would help drive digital technology and open up Free Trade Zones for block-chain technology businesses to invest.

NEPZA Managing Director, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, who dropped the hint at the weekend during a courtesy visit on the Executive Chairman of the Federal Revenue Inland Services (FIRS), Mohammed Nami in Abuja added that nothing should stop the country from exploiting the potentials of multi trillion dollar sector.

He stated that multinational organizations like JP Morgan, MTN, KFC, Tesla and many others have entered the crypto currency and metaverse digital blockchain sector with MTN said to have purchased 114 metaverse properties recently.

The NEPZA CEO said that NEPZA aimed at opening the country’s free trade zones’ corridor for genuine global competitiveness.

According to him, the African Continental Free Trade Zones Area (AfCFTA) has given leverage to all countries in the continent to diversify their business catchments.

“As we speak, free trade zones are springing up everywhere in Africa. Nigeria must be concerned about competitions from Egypt; South Africa; Kenya; Benin Republic; Ghana; and Togo where huge investments have been committed to free trade zones development.

“For us, we are doing well with about 500 enterprises operating in 42 zones across the country, but we must expand the investment corridor to magnet operators of blockchain technology which remains the future of the global economy.

Nami, on his part, explained that the stage was set to enter into a MoU with NEPZA, adding that such agreement would certainly obliterate all pending negative notions between these two important agencies of government.