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President of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Chinyere Nwoga has tasked journalists in the state to sustain efforts geared towards projecting Rivers state in a positive light via shifting the narrative in the state from perception to reality, even as she noted that journalists play a significant role in attracting or discouraging investors and prospective businesses with the quality of stories they put out in the public space

Dr Nwoga made this assertion when a delegation of the newly elected Executive Committee of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Rivers State Council paid her a courtesy call at the PHCCIMA corporate office in Port Harcourt. She thanked the Chairman, for an earlier presentation, saying it shows that some of the Rivers NUJ objectives of integrity, accountability, and strict adherence to global best practices, including projecting the state in a good light to attract investors align with PHCCIMA’s position as a chamber of Commerce.

According to her, if journalists send out updates that say there is a world war all the time, investors and prospective businesses will run away and there will be job losses and economic downturns, adding that Rivers NUJ must begin to tell our stories in such a way to portray physical realities that our state is safe, development-based and conducive for business, to help all of us, especially people in the business community to build more external confidence, and get people aligned or inclined to come to Port Harcourt, live in Port Harcourt, and do business in Port Harcourt.

Speaking about Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce the PHCCIMA boss noted that you don’t have to be a blue-chip company to be a member, because there are categories for enterprises, and also the Women’s Wing, dedicated to just women. According to her, the Women wingt is a national movement of the chamber that allows space for women to feel free, talk about their problems, discuss their accomplishments, inspire other women, and marshal out ways forward to enhance their potentials.

Hear her: “Within that space, we strive to make available affordable funding, grants, and loans for them. There is also a chapter for the youth, the young directors, they tell us their needs and we come up with ways to help nurture and mentor them.

We also have incubation and mentoring programs, particularly for SMEs, and start-ups, providing business support, training, and capacity building among others using our members as facilitators mostly free to help them get on the ground because when they grow, the chamber grows.

Hear her: “PHCCIMA also collaborates with embassies, visits them to showcase our investment potentials and they also show us theirs too because our relationship with them is symbiotic and a recommendation from the Chamber of Commerce makes visa obligation and other matters a lot easier” she opined.

Dr Nwoga also explained that PHCCIMA organizes trade fairs, which provide opportunities to showcase businesses, products, and services of members and others, including the business potentials of the state.

“Mr. Chairman you mentioned tourism, we will introduce you to the President of Beach Harcourt Club who is doing a great job but he is under-reported, this is the value you can bring in to showcase our tourism potential to the world”.

She concluded by saying that this and lots more form part of the core objective of the chamber, expressing confidence that with the Rivers NUJ partnership, PHCCIMA shall be better understood as a chamber, creating more opportunities for people to hear and have first-hand knowledge into what they do and the benefits they are creating for them when they join this chamber.

“I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the beautiful presentation you made, it shows that some of your objectives of integrity, accountability, and strict adherence to global best practices including projecting the state in a good light align with our position as a chamber of Commerce.

Earlier on, Chairman of the newly elected Executive Committee of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Rivers State branch, Comrade Paul Bazia in his remark had said they came to congratulate the PHCCIMA President following her emergence as the first Female President of the Chamber since it was founded in 1957 and to explore areas of collaboration with the Chamber which has been a front line organization in the creation of favourable conditions for the Organized Private Sector in the state. He described the state as rich with tourism potential, as the state has plenty of untapped resources including the 20 kilometers of all-white sand beach along NGO and Oyorokoto parts of Andoni Local Government Area of the state.

Comrade Bazia highlighted the interest of the union in joining forces to harness these potentials and available resources in the state for the creation of employment opportunities and better economic and Investment conditions for both the private and public sectors in the state.