The Special Adviser to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr John Uwajimogu, has said the Federal Government is exploring ways to support businesses in Abia State, particularly those in Aba’s textile and garment sector, as well as agriculture.
Uwajimogu stated this on Wednesday, during a visit to Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, at Nvosi, Isialangwa South Local Government Area.
He said the delegation was in the state to deepen engagement with the government and identify areas of collaboration that could attract federal projects and investment opportunities.
Uwajimogu said the Federal Government had taken note of Aba’s strong industrial capacity, particularly in textiles and garments, and was considering measures to address major constraints facing businesses in the sector.
“One of the biggest things that we see coming out of Abia State is the strong industrial capacity in Aba, particularly in the textile and garments sector.
“And we have been thinking of how, from the federal level, we can support the businesses that are working in that sector and have come up with ideas on how we can address one of the biggest binding constraints that they often face, one being infrastructure and the other one being finance.
“And we’re also coming to discuss what we can bring to the table and help resolve and address those binding constraints”, Uwajimogu said.
He said the Federal Government was also interested in bringing its projects and programmes to Abia through closer collaboration with the state government.
Uwajimogu said the focus was to strengthen businesses, improve productivity and tackle challenges, particularly inadequate infrastructure and limited access to finance.
He added that the visit would provide an opportunity to discuss practical measures for addressing the constraints and strengthening Abia’s industrial base.
The presidential adviser also expressed the Federal Government’s readiness to support Abia in agricultural development, stressing the importance of agriculture and agro-processing to economic growth.
He said agriculture provides a foundation for improved livelihoods and industrialisation through value addition and processing.
Uwajimogu said his engagement with the state government was also informed by the development initiatives being pursued by the Otti administration and the opportunities they presented for collaboration.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Engr Cornelius Adebayo, described Governor Otti as a performer and reformer.
Adebayo said NALDA’s core mandate was poverty alleviation through agriculture and sought the state government’s support in providing land for its Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate programme.
He said the programme was designed to aggregate farmers, provide infrastructure, improve security, facilitate access to inputs and markets, and create sustainable incomes.
Adebayo expressed the hope that Abia would host a major NALDA agricultural project, including a processing facility, and appealed to Otti to provide suitable land and other support for the initiative.
Responding, Governor Otti expressed his administration’s readiness to collaborate with NALDA and other stakeholders to unlock Abia’s agricultural potential.
Governor Otti described the proposed farm settlement initiative as a practical pathway to increasing food production, creating jobs and reducing dependence on food imports.
He said that despite its limited landmass, Abia had fertile and arable land suitable for crops including cassava, yam, cocoyam, palm and cashew.
The governor recalled the success of farm settlements established in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the defunct Star Paper Mill, as examples of enterprises that demonstrated Nigerians’ capacity to build sustainable productive ventures.
Governor Otti said the proposed initiative aligned with his administration’s vision, noting that food importation placed additional pressure on the foreign exchange market.
The Governor stressed the need to revive local production through deliberate investment in agriculture.
He directed the Commissioners for Agriculture and Land to assess available locations, including existing farm settlements and other suitable areas and also directed them to explore measures to strengthen the operations of NALDA’s office in Osisioma.
