Umana Okon Umana CEO – OGFZA
Established in 1996, OGFZA is a national regulatory agency tasked with overseeing the country’s network of oil and gas free trade zones. The authority’s first free zone opened in Onne, Rivers State in 2001. The authority’s free zone model, which hinges on deep partnerships with the private sector, was so successful that it has since expanded its portfolio to three additional locations: Warri, Brass, and Ikot Abasi. These free zones have attracted a combined $16 billion of investment from more than 45 countries over the previous two decades.
Umana Okon Umana, CEO of the OGFZA, described how oil and gas free zones play an instrumental role in supporting Nigeria’s economic growth and development. The benefits go well beyond foreign direct investment inflows: