Journalist: ‘What is one important determinant for business success?’
Harold Samuel: ‘LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION’

Let me start by sharing a story from a book entitled ‘From Third world to First: The Singapore story – 1965-2000 by Lee Kuan Yew’, that highlights the value that can be drawn just from a Country’s (or State’s) location.
The story also amplifies the importance of visionary leadership.
As we learnt in geography, the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West, a result of the Earths rotation. This means that when people in Plateau State, Nigeria are waking up in the morning those in California, USA are snoring, enjoying their sleep.
In the late 60’s before the advent of the internet, global trade and international financial transactions through the banks were facilitated by telephones. Major banks like JP Morgan, HSBC and others had branches established in finance hubs and were linked via phone lines. The worlds banking hubs were located in Zurich (Switzerland), London (United Kingdom), New York and San Francisco (U.S.A).
At that time, 24 hours banking wasn’t possible as it is now; looking at a typical financial money traffic through the day – the financial world wakes up in Zurich, Switzerland where banks open at 9 AM, by afternoon London, UK wakes up and takes over banking transactions. By the time its evening in London, New York, USA is waking up and the bank branches there takeover financial transactions which then hands it over to San Francisco, USA.
However between the time when banks in San Francisco close and banks in Zurich open, there is time period where no banks are open. This is the reason why 24-hour banking wasn’t possible in the 60’s.
The leaders in Singapore looked at this problem and saw an opportunity – WHY – because their country located in Asia falls geo-strategically within the time zone when all banks globally are closed.
The government of Singapore started massive fiscal reforms and infrastructure development with the aim of attracting international banks to open branches there; this brought the JP Morgan’s, Bank of America and HSBC’s to Singapore.
The singular act of recognizing the potential of location and exploiting it enabled 24-hour banking fueling an explosion in international trade and the benefits that accrued to the Small country of Singapore in terms of increased employment and more importantly progressive visibility.

Reading this story got me thinking, what are the benefits that we can derive from our dear Plateau State just by virtue of our LOCATION?
Permit me to briefly mention three (3) potential areas of opportunity available to us based on our location, and challenge us as people of the state to also think outside the box and imagine other areas we can tap into.

Transportation-Trade hub:
The ancient world had the SILK ROUTE that connected Asia and the Middle East facilitating international trade; Plateau state is blessed to have a designated cargo airport albeit unutilized, a planned inland container port though still un-operational, a network of Federal roads that connect the South with the NW and NE states and a major railway terminus captured in the railway masterplan where two major lines; the Eagle and Eastern lines, intersect in Jos.
All these transport routes and port facilities are based on the centrality of Plateau State in the geography of Nigeria, and point to the potential for the State to serve as a major trading post between the North and the South.
The task before us as a state is to use whatever means necessary; from lobbying via our governor, minister, senators and house of reps members to providing incentives and local regulatory frameworks to ensure full utilization of the existing facilities, rehabilitation of those in disrepair (roads) and budgetary approvals for those in the plan (Railway et al).
Locations along trade routes usually see an explosion of economic activity due to the influx of people and companies taking advantage of those facilities, and our state stands to benefit immensely if advantage is taken of this location induced privileges.

Agricultural hub:
Plateau State has a mixture of montane and tall grass savanna agro-ecological zones characterized by a mix of tropical and temperate climates due to the highlands to the North of the state and lowlands to the South. This makes it suitable for growing all kinds of crops, particularly vegetables and exotic crops like Irish Potatoes (dankalin turawa), broccoli, strawberries etc.
Walk into any large shopping mall in Lagos and Abuja, and you will find the imported varieties of these products on their shelves sold at exorbitant prices. Our products should be on those shelves with a big tag that says – ‘Made in Plateau’.
Thinking of location in-terms of agriculture, I am angered when I see a Kaduna based company named TOMATO JOS (can you imagine?) founded in 2014 by a young Harvard graduate Mira Mehta. Talk is that her initial plan was to set up in Jos, but she received no government support. Today she is about completing a ~$5m tomato paste company in Kaduna State (>N2 billion) with a capacity for indirect/direct employment of more than 1500 people.
Any reasonable government should have gone out of their way to provide incentives to bring this company to Plateau State.
Imagine what a company like that will do to our state, and imagine the kind of good publicity it will create in business and investment circles nationally and internationally, enabling us attract similar investments in things like a strawberry jam company or a potato chips factory.

Industrial hub:
Our state with its highlands is blessed with a lot of waterfalls, these are not just for tourism – they form the basis for the establishment of mini-hydro power plants. And with the partial deregulation/privatization of the electric power sector in Nigeria, there is a huge potential for the establishment of hydro-electric plants powering mini-grids that are dedicated bespoke industrial hubs.
Nothing stops us as a state from promoting a small agro-processing industrial hub powered by a dedicated 5-7 MW capacity mini-hydro power plant around the Assop Water falls in Riyom LGA where private companies can be established to add value to our locally produced foods!!!
This is the kind of new thinking required to leap-frog us away from the classic pathetic civil-servant state motto we have allowed ourselves to be tagged with.

All these 3 prevalent opportunities are feasible because of one word: LOCATION.

We cannot keep doing the same things and expect different results, especially at a time when regions are clamouring for restructuring. A move that will definitely see a reduction in the monthly federal allocation.
Plateau people are we prepared or preparing for that inevitable future?
I remember a hausa saying from one of my teachers; ‘na gaba sun yi gaba, na baya sai labari’ (Translation: Those ahead have gone ahead, those behind we will only hear their stories). Lets not allow ourselves to be caught in a position when all we have is the pain of regret from failing to take advantage of opportunities placed before us.
The best time to start taking the right steps was yesterday…the next best time is today.

Alfred Dapal Damiyal

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A world in Transition: LOCATION….LOCATION…..LOCATION – By Alfred Dapal Damiyal