THE Warri Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (WACCIMA) says it will welcome partnership civil societies and corporate firms to “restore the lost glory of Warri”.

Mr Simon Asite, President of the chamber said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Warri.

Asite said that the aim was to change most of the negative information about Warri, which were often blown out of proportion.

He said that such information had portrayed the city in bad light and discouraged investment to the city.

Asite said that the chamber had entered into an agreement with Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITE-AFRICA) to establish “Warri Peace and Development Corridor (WAPDEC)” with a view to fostering peace and development.

“There is the need to encourage investment to the city and reduce the high unemployment rate among the youth.

“The residents of Warri need to have a change in mindset about the city.

“Warri is not the only volatile area in the country, but issues that concern it are often blown out of proportion.

“As an association, we have started the process of tackling insecurity issues many years ago that have affected the business community of Warri and its environs.

“The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LITE-AFRICA will help to facilitate the restoration of peace, retain the existing investment climate and by implication bring back the lost glory of Warri,” he said.

“WAPDEC as an inclusive initiative will help to change the negative perception of the people toward Warri and make the city a business destination for investors once again,” he said.

The Executive Director of LITE-AFRICA, Mr Joel Bisina said that the idea behind WAPDEC was to create a new vision and change the negative perception about Warri.

“WAPDEC is to change the culture, attitude and behaviour of the people, tell those who live in Warri to have positive attitude about themselves, the city and their businesses,” Bisina said. (NAN)

– Jul. 20, 2018 @ 13:35 GMT