Abia seeks partnership with Indonesia in agric, mining

Abia State government says it is interested in partnering Indonesia to boost the state’s agricultural and mining sectors, especially palm oil production, in which it has comparative advantage.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, in an address at an embassy lecture, organised by the Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA) in Aba, said Abia would want to partner Indonesia to further develop its palm oil industry.

Represented at the forum by Henry Ikoh, the state’s commissioner for industry, science and technology, Ikpeazu said: “We need genuine businessmen and women, who can partner with us so that we can further develop those sectors. We have clay in large quantity. We also have a ceramic industry that is moribund. We want to revamp that industry and create jobs for our people.”

With an output of 32 million tons of palm oil in 2015, Indonesia is currently the largest producer of palm oil in the world.

Harry Purwanto, Indonesian ambassador to Nigeria, the guest lecturer, revealed that Indonesia had developed high yield palm oil seedlings, from palm oil seedlings it got from Nigeria, and expressed readiness of his country to deepen its relationship with Nigeria.

Huge investment opportunities exist in Abia, in agriculture, oil and gas, mineral resources, tourism, real estate and education.

Mineral resources abound in commercial quantities in the state, but yet untapped. They include kaolin, galena, granite, gypsum, tar sand, phosphate and black marble, copper and gold.

Tourism and hospitality industry remains a fertile ground for investors with the increasing mobile population of the state.

Also, huge investment opportunities exist in real estate – for middle and high-scale housing developments, especially in the urban areas of Umuahia, Aba and Ohafia.

In the area of agriculture, Abia has fertile land and the areas of comparative advantage for foreign and local investments are in the production of palm oil, cassava, while opportunities abound in cocoa processing and beverages, rice milling and fruit canning.