Akwa Ibom Gov Reiterates Commitment to Establishment of more Industries

Akwa Ibom Gov Reiterates Commitment to Establishment of more Industries

Okon Bassey in Uyo

The Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has said that his second term in office will witness the establishment of more industries in the state in line with his industrialisation drive and policy.

The governor gave the assurance at a meeting with officials of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) who were in the state for a retreat.

According to Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom is the best destination for investment in the country, given its enormous natural and human resources for wealth creation.

The governor, who said there are several industries in the kitty that would soon berth in the state, requested serious partnership with the investment agency.

“With viable gateways such as water, air, land and good road infrastructure across the state, there is no business that cannot thrive in Akwa Ibom given its serene and secured ambience,” he stressed.

The state chief executive regretted that out of over 150 megawatts of electricity generated by the Independent Power Plant in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of the state, only a very minute fraction of the generated power is consumed within the state.

“we are giving the power infrastructure in our state a major boost with provision of standard sub stations to ensure power stability and enhance the development of small and medium scale enterprise,” the governor added.

He said the state invested in the power sector to ensure that every citizen has access to electricity by ensuring that digital meters which is now produced in the state, are installed at every home for proper billings.

Welcoming the NSIA officials for the choice of the state for the retreat, the governor further used the meeting to highlight some of the development strides recorded by the state government in healthcare, agriculture, education and industrial sectors of the economy.

The state, he said, has invested in sports development and the gains are beginning to manifest in the field of soccer and athletics.

He said that the coconut refinery is another mega bucks investment given the price of coconut oil in the international market.

Emmanuel pointed out that with about $80 million as loan facility, the refinery project will soon be ready and the credit facility repaid within five years.

He called on the NSIA to facilitate the process and also help in the development of other areas of investment in the state.

The Chairman, Board of NSIA, Mr Jide Zietlin, applauded the governor for the insights in exploring the investment potential of the state and the bold steps taken to make Akwa Ibom an investors haven.

This, he said, informed the choice of the state for the retreat and assured Emmanuel that the retreat would enable the team explore and make recommendations on the areas for priority for partnership.

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