Hon. Onyekwere Akym Uche, a US-based business man and founder of the OAU foundation, has called on Nigerians living and working abroad to deepen their investment in local communities, stressing that the Nigerian diaspora possesses enormous intellectual, professional and financial resources capable of accelerating development at the grassroots.
OAU made the call while speaking with journalists on the role of Nigerians in the diaspora in national development, urging them to look beyond sending financial support to families and consider strategic investments that can create jobs, strengthen local enterprises, improve human capital and generate sustainable economic opportunities.
According to him, the Nigerian diaspora represents a formidable reservoir of expertise, capital, experience and international connections which, if deliberately channelled into local economies, could contribute significantly to transforming communities across the country.
“Nigerians in the diaspora have achieved remarkable things in different parts of the world. They have acquired knowledge, built businesses, developed professional networks and gained exposure to systems that work. The question we should continually ask is how we can bring some of that knowledge, capital and experience back home to strengthen our communities,” Akym said.
He noted that remittances remain valuable to millions of Nigerian families, particularly in supporting education, healthcare, housing and other essential needs, but argued that a significant portion of diaspora resources could also be deployed into productive ventures capable of generating enduring benefits.
OAU said investments in agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, technology, education, healthcare, renewable energy, tourism, real estate and small and medium-sized enterprises could provide sustainable economic opportunities for local communities while also offering investors viable returns.
“Sending money home to support your family is important, but we should also think about what that money can become when it is invested productively. One investment can create employment for several young people. A business can train workers, pay salaries, support other businesses and contribute to the local economy. That is the multiplier effect we should be pursuing,” he stated.
The entrepreneur and development advocate stressed that diaspora investment should not be limited to major cities, noting that rural and semi-urban communities also possess significant economic potential that remains largely untapped.
He maintained that many communities have abundant agricultural resources, entrepreneurial talent and natural advantages but lack the capital, technology, technical expertise and market access required to transform those assets into commercially viable enterprises.
According to him, Nigerians abroad could help bridge some of these gaps by partnering with credible local entrepreneurs, cooperatives, community organisations and businesses with demonstrable capacity.
“Sometimes, what a community needs is not somebody to come and do everything for them. What they need is a partner who can provide capital, technical knowledge, access to markets or the right connections. If our people in the diaspora begin to identify credible opportunities at home and partner with those already on the ground, we can unlock tremendous potential,” OAU said.
He also urged diaspora professionals to consider knowledge transfer as an important form of investment, noting that expertise and mentorship could sometimes be more transformative than direct financial contributions.
OAU said Nigerian professionals working in technology, medicine, engineering, finance, law, education, agriculture and other specialised fields could contribute by mentoring young Nigerians, facilitating professional exchanges, providing training and creating platforms through which local talents could access international opportunities.
“Investment is not always about money. Your knowledge is an investment. Your network is an investment. Your experience is an investment. If a Nigerian professional abroad can mentor ten young people at home and help them acquire skills that make them employable or capable of building businesses, that is a meaningful contribution to national development,” he said.
He further advocated structured partnerships between diaspora investors and local institutions, arguing that such collaborations could improve accountability and ensure that projects are properly managed.
Onyekwere Akym Uche cautioned Nigerians in the diaspora against investing blindly, urging them to conduct proper due diligence and work with trusted professionals and institutions to minimise risks.
He said sustainable diaspora investment would require transparency, proper corporate governance, reliable partnerships and clear mechanisms for monitoring the utilisation of resources.
“We must also be realistic. There are genuine challenges associated with investing from abroad, including trust, accountability and sometimes inadequate information. That is why due diligence is important. People should identify credible partners, establish clear structures and monitor their investments. We should build systems that make it easier for people abroad to confidently invest back home,” he said.
Akym equally called for a stronger culture of community-based investment, suggesting that Nigerians from the same communities could pool resources to finance projects capable of benefiting large numbers of people.
He cited areas such as schools, healthcare facilities, water projects, skills-acquisition centres, agricultural processing facilities and community-based enterprises as initiatives that could benefit from collective diaspora participation.
He maintained that such projects should, however, be carefully planned and designed around the actual needs of beneficiaries rather than driven solely by the desire to create visible structures.
“Development is not just about putting up a building. We must ask what happens after the building is completed. Who will manage it? How will it be maintained? Who will benefit from it? How will it continue to serve the community? Sustainability must be part of the conversation from the beginning,” OAU stated.
The philanthropist further encouraged successful Nigerians abroad to create opportunities for younger people to gain international exposure through internships, scholarships, professional exchanges and mentorship programmes.
He argued that such initiatives could help bridge the gap between local talent and global opportunities while strengthening the capacity of young Nigerians to compete in an increasingly interconnected economy.
OAU also called on government at all levels to create a more conducive environment for diaspora investment by strengthening institutions, improving infrastructure, providing reliable information and simplifying legitimate investment processes.
According to him, Nigerians abroad are more likely to invest significantly when they have confidence in the regulatory environment and can reasonably predict that their investments will be protected.
He said government should therefore regard the diaspora not merely as a source of remittances but as strategic development partners.
“The diaspora should not be seen only as people who send money home. They are potential investors, employers, mentors, innovators and development partners. We need to create an environment that encourages them to bring more of their resources, ideas and expertise into Nigeria,” he said.
Onyekwere Akym expressed optimism that greater diaspora participation in local economic development could help reduce unemployment, stimulate entrepreneurship and improve the quality of life in communities across Nigeria.
He stressed that the objective should not be to encourage Nigerians abroad to abandon their lives overseas, but to establish stronger economic and professional links between the diaspora and their communities of origin.
“We should build bridges, not walls, between Nigerians at home and Nigerians abroad. A person can live in London, New York, Johannesburg, Dubai or anywhere else and still contribute meaningfully to the development of his or her community in Nigeria. Distance should not prevent impact,” Akym said.
In conclusion, he urged Nigerians in the diaspora to consider the long-term legacy they could create through purposeful investment in their communities, noting that the greatest contribution was one that empowered people and created opportunities capable of outliving the original investor.
“If we can move from simply asking what our communities can give us to asking what we can build in our communities, the impact will be enormous. Let us invest in people, businesses, knowledge and institutions. Let us create opportunities that will still be producing value years after we have made the initial investment. That is how we build communities that can thrive and generations that can prosper,” OAU said.