The Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary of the Abia State Diaspora Commission, Rev. Ambassador Annie Onu, has charged Abians at home and in the Diaspora to take active responsibility for the socioeconomic development of the State by deliberately attracting investments.
Rev. Amb. Onu made the call while reacting to the recent visit of the Abiriba Communal Improvement Development Union (ACIDU) to Governor Alex Otti at his country home in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area, where the Union declared its readiness to partner the Abia State Government in mobilising investors.
She described the ACIDU visit as timely and in line with the vision of the Abia State Government to reposition the State as a prime investment destination.
The Diaspora Commission boss listed the State’s evolving industrial policies, improved security architecture and the creation of a conducive business environment as major incentives for investors.
According to her, Abia’s rising ease-of-doing-business rating and ongoing institutional reforms have positioned the state favourably among sub-national economies in Nigeria.
“Our message to Abians in the diaspora is simple, this is the time to come home and invest. Government will support you. The systems are working and the environment is friendly.
“Abia State today has a clearly defined industrial policy, a vastly improved ease of doing business framework and an enabling environment that guarantees investor confidence. These are the fundamentals investors look for, and Abia has them.
“Our people must begin to see development as a collective responsibility. Government has done its part by putting the right policies in place, but citizens, especially those in the Diaspora, must rise to the occasion by attracting investments back home”, Amb Onu stated.
The Diaspora boss commended ACIDU for setting the pace, noting that community-driven investment initiatives would accelerate development and job creation across the State.
The Abiriba Communal Improvement Development Union had earlier expressed its resolve to support the Abia State Government by attracting investors to boost socioeconomic development in the State.
The President of ACIDU, Chief Yuceey Otta-Uwah, who disclosed this during the Union’s visit to Governor Otti, explained that the decision followed a meeting of the Union.
Otta-Uwah stressed that communities should not rely solely on government for development, adding that improved security and business conditions in Abia has made the State attractive to investors.
Otta-Uwah revealed that Korean investors had shown interest in partnering with the State to establish agricultural processing factories.
“We have a lot of Koreans who are interested and willing to partner with the state in agriculture. They want to open an agricultural processing factory in Abia and export from Abia to Benin and other West African countries, not just sell within Nigeria”, the ACIDU President said.
He commended the State Government for its infrastructural strides, citing the Sir Joe Irukwu Way as evidence of Governor Otti’s commitment to development.
