The British High Commissioner, Richard Montgomery, visited Rivers State between the 24th and 25th of January for high-level discussions with the state governor and key stakeholders in the state government, business leaders and civil society. 
 
During the two-day visit, the High Commissioner visited on the Rivers State Governor, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara and paid his respects to the former State Governor, Sir Dr Peter Odili. They discussed the strong economic partnership that has existed between Rivers State and the UK, recent developments and future opportunities.
 
The High Commissioner also visited Shell Nigeria and Indorama at their operational bases. Discussions focused on the opportunities for growth and improvements in the extraction and manufacturing sections. He sought their views on efforts to advance UK investment in the state, and possible areas of partnerships to help boost economic growth and job creation. 
 
The High Commissioner met with NGOs and Nigerian government actors working on oil clean up and representatives of civil society organisations, operating across rivers State and the wider Niger Delta. Stakeholders gave a run down on the implementation of their programmes and some of the great opportunities for the state, to lead on efforts to combat environmental damage, climate change and improve sustainable livelihoods.
 
At the end of the visit, the British High Commissioner, Richard Montgomery, said: 
 
“Rivers State is particularly important as a large economy, with strong assets and institutions, important for Nigeria’s national economy.
 
“My visit was a good opportunity to engage and interact with key players.
 
“I came to listen and learn about recent developments, and gather insights about some of our UK-Nigeria economic partnerships: the impact they have made so far, and the potential for more.
 
“We very much want to continue developing these bonds – both with governments and civil society – to enhance prosperity within the region.”