Hidden attractions in the water-locked Bonny in Rivers State are now being turned into investment. The attractions are said to have brought huge goodwill over the decades, but the Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (BonnyChamber), says it is set to convert the goodwill to investment.
Bonny is also being linked to the Caribbean zone, a link said to have been created in the slave Trade era. Whereas the Caribbean zone has turned into a huge global tourism Economy, Bonny has not.
Now, BonnyChamber says it is launching an ‘Orange Economy’ to boost Bonny’s 4% ($16bn) contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP). This is because they believe that tourism is next to oil along the pipeline.
BonnyChamber is set thus to unveil what it calls ‘Discover Bonny Initiative’ which would begin on August 18 and end on 20, 2026.
Constance Nwokejiobi, President of BonnyChamber, said piloting a ‘visitor-experience’ has already begun.
Addressing newsmen in the week, Nwokejiobi said the test-running involves hiking tours along the new Bonny-Bodo Road; heritage walks through St Stephens Cathedral, tracing Bishop Ajayi Crowther’s boat hymns and ministry and the work of Bishop Holy Johnson, and the introduction of Christianity to Bonny under King George Pepple.
She named others as ecotourism excursions at Finima Nature Park, including a boardwalk rail walk and our Bio-Conservation Hub, home to two whale bones recovered from Finima Beach.
She talked on efforts to create a link between Bonny and the Caribbean, saying: “Our international outreach is already bearing fruit. Through Afreximbank’s support for a Caribbean corridor and bankability review, and through our participation at ACTIF alongside CAIPA representing twenty-five Caribbean nations, the Bonny Chamber has already begun attracting Caribbean investment and tourism interest to Bonny Island, turning years of research into active trade and tourism Diplomacy between Nigeria and the Caribbean.”
She said the Chamber was building this for two audiences at once. “For Nigerians, we say: come discover Bonny, support domestic tourism, and see for yourself what our Kingdom offers.
“For the international community, we say: Bonny Island is open, for investment, for partnership, and for visitors seeking an authentic, well managed West African destination.
“Over the next three years, through the ‘Discover Bonny Initiative’, we will keep pushing our heritage, our hospitality and our products onto the global stage.”
The summit:
The summit has huge recognition and space for the office of the governor of Rivers State (Sim Fubara), who is known for big interest in tourism development and ecosystem. The summit would also host representatives of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy; the Rivers State Ministry of Tourism; and the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority.
It is being anchored around royalty, with the King, Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, who is Perekule XI and the Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom.
The summit has recognition for a category termed Tier 1 partners mainly NLNG and Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited (operator of the NNPC/Renaissance Joint Venture, comprising the National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Renaissance, TotalEnergies and Agip Energy & Natural Resources (AENR). There are top investors, Tourism experts, Amenity providers, chiefs and community leaders.
Open arms:
At the media briefing, the BonnyChamber President said it was a time to throw its arms open to mark a defining moment in the story of Bonny Island, a story the BonnyChamber walking with its people from inception. The story has opens onto its most ambitious chapter yet: the Bonny Island Tourism & Investment Summit 2026, taking place from 18 to 20 August 2026.
Nwokejiobi described BonnyChamber as the economic advocacy arm of Bonny Kingdom, affiliated with NACCIMA and the International Chamber of Commerce, and a consortium partner of Sealink, an SPV of NEXIM Bank.
“Since its founding, the Chamber has stood as the private-sector voice for Bonny Island’s development, and it is the Chamber that created two of the ideas now driving this Summit: the Free Trade Zone for our Island, and the Asimini Line, now expanding beyond river cruising into light cargo vessel operations.”
She said both visions come into play within the ‘Discover Bonny’ plan being unveiled. “We have also worked with NLNG and Renaissance JV, which carries forward the vital JIC project, and kept faith with the Master Plan project, ensuring that as Bonny grows, it grows with structure, sustainability, and dignity for its people.
“These efforts converge today in the ‘Discover Bonny Initiative’, our integrated, three-year strategic programme to transform Bonny Island into a premier tourism destination.”
The President said ‘Discover Bonny’ is not a slogan but a framework: “A Tourism Concierge Platform, a Partnership Framework spanning Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Community Tourism and International partnership tiers, and critically, a dedicated Tourism Centre driven by the private sector.
“That last point deserves emphasis: sustainable tourism cannot be built by government alone. A private sector anchored Tourism Centre ensures Bonny’s tourism economy is entrepreneurial, investable, and built to outlast any single administration or partnership cycle. This matters beyond Bonny.”
Tourism is Nigeria’s Orange Economy:
She said the Orange Economy is a creative, service-driven growth engine capable of diversifying and expanding our national GDP well beyond oil and gas. “Bonny Local Government Area alone already contributes an estimated 4% of Nigeria’s national GDP, largely from oil and gas; our task now is to build a second, sustainable pillar alongside it…
