Abia holds development summit on Aba

In an effort to realise the full potentials of Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, the state government in conjunction with Ford Foundation, has concluded plans to host a developmental summit in Aba.

The Aba Urban Development Summit, slated for January 13 to 15, 2016, is expected to have in attendance CEOs of banks, foreign government representatives, captains of industry, development partners and an array of stakeholders.

According to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, in a statement made available to BusinessDay, the summit is in line with one of the key cardinal development agenda of our administration, which is to drive sustainable and all-inclusive development in Abia State.

“Aba, as the commercial hub of Abia State, when sustainably developed, will trigger development activities in other parts of the state,” he said.

The summit also seeks to “convene key policy makers, social, economic and technical experts, investors and entrepreneurs, to discuss the key priorities for unlocking the full potentials of Aba.”

The summit, according to the governor, is also expected to “showcase opportunities for the private sector and development community, to partner Aba in particular and Abia more broadly to invest in infrastructure, power, agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors.”

Aside the expected participating stakeholders, the entire Abia State Executive Council and members of the Abia State House of Assembly, would make up the projected 300 participants at the summit, which is strictly by invitation.