By Terdue Atondu, Makurdi
The Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) is set to host the Benue 2035 Economic Transformation, Capital Formation and Prosperity Summit, as part of efforts to attract investment, create jobs and reposition the state for sustainable economic growth.
The three-day summit, scheduled to hold from Monday, September 7 to Wednesday, September 9, 2026, in Makurdi, will be held under the theme: “Benue 2035 – From Potential to Prosperity: Building a $5 Billion Investment Platform for Job Creation, Prosperity and Global Competitiveness.”
In a statement signed by BIPC management and made available to FirmNews, the company said the summit would bring together political and economic leaders, investors, financial institutions, development partners, entrepreneurs, innovators, academics, technology experts and private-sector executives.
According to BIPC, the gathering is designed to develop a shared economic vision and practical investment roadmap capable of transforming Benue’s abundant agricultural, human capital and entrepreneurial resources into productive enterprises.
The company said the core objective was to move the state “from potential to productivity, productivity to investment, and investment to jobs, wealth creation and prosperity.”
$5bn Investment Platform
A major focus of the summit will be the creation of a $5 billion investment platform aimed at attracting domestic and international capital into bankable projects across key sectors of the Benue economy.
The platform is expected to support efforts to increase the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capita income, generate sustainable employment, strengthen Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), improve fiscal sustainability, boost exports and foreign exchange earnings, and make Benue a more competitive investment destination.
BIPC said particular attention would be given to retaining more economic value within the state through agro-processing, manufacturing, industrialisation, logistics, technology and export-oriented businesses.
Youth, Innovation and Digital Economy
The summit will also place wealth creation and human capital development at the centre of the Benue 2035 economic agenda.
BIPC said discussions would focus on equipping young people with the skills, opportunities and enabling environment needed to build businesses and create sustainable livelihoods.
The company said innovation, technology, digital economy and startups would feature prominently as emerging drivers of economic growth.
It noted that the recent passage of the Benue State Innovation, Digital and Startup Law by the State House of Assembly provides an important foundation for building a robust technology and startup ecosystem.
Areas to be explored include digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, automation, agritech, fintech, healthtech, edtech, software development, creative industries and other emerging sectors.
The objective, according to BIPC, is to enable young entrepreneurs to move from ideas to viable businesses and eventually build scalable enterprises.
The summit will focus on several priority areas, including agriculture and agro-industrialisation, energy and industrial infrastructure, capital formation, manufacturing and value-chain development.
Others are human capital and talent development, technology and startups, artificial intelligence and automation, entrepreneurship and SME development, education and future industries, trade and exports, revenue growth and fiscal sustainability.
Governance, productivity, security, execution, citizen prosperity and wealth creation will also form part of the discussions.
BIPC said the summit would differ from conventional conferences as it would operate as a working strategic engagement using Hudson Global’s Swift Alignment of Strategic Imperatives (SASI) methodology.
The approach, it explained, is designed to move participants beyond speeches and presentations towards practical decisions, bankable investment opportunities, implementation strategies, clear ownership and measurable outcomes.
Participants are expected to engage in plenary sessions, facilitated breakout sessions, innovation exercises, collaborative design workshops and executive alignment sessions.
At the end of the summit, BIPC expects to produce a Benue 2035 Economic Transformation Platform, a prioritised investment portfolio, capital formation roadmap, wealth-creation and enterprise development framework, human capital and digital innovation strategy, coordinated implementation framework and a 100-day action plan.
The company said institutional champions would also be identified to take responsibility for implementing the agreed initiatives.
Building a Prosperous Benue
BIPC said the ultimate goal of the Benue 2035 agenda was to build an economy where farmers earn more from their produce, businesses can expand, young people can convert their skills and ideas into enterprises, and investors can access credible opportunities.
It added that achieving the vision would require collective ambition, strategic partnerships, investment, innovation, human capital development and disciplined execution.
The company therefore called on stakeholders invited to the summit to contribute their ideas, expertise, capital, networks and investment perspectives towards shaping a new economic future for Benue State.
