Governor Alex Otti has promised that Abia will partner the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in a project designed to showcase made-in-Aba products.

Mr Otti made the promise when a delegation from NIPSS, led by the board chairman and director-general, Ken Nnamani and Ayo Omotayo, visited him at Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa North LGA.

The Abia governor said that providing an enabling environment is key to incentivising investors. He also stated that the country would not be able to build a trillion-dollar economy solely through trade.

He said that a huge economic development, such as building a trillion-dollar economy, could only happen with manufacturing and increased productivity. The governor, therefore, assured the delegation of Abia’s support in the project.

“We have a duty to rescue this nation. We don’t have any excuse not to transform the country in our time,” Mr Otti said.

Mr Nnamani commended the governor for his commitment to rebuilding Abia. He said that the people of the South-East were proud of his developmental strides, which were “sounding like a bell louder abroad”.

He said that the team came to present to him a proposal for a national development project, which he might find suitable to host in Abia.

Mr Omotayo said that the president had directed NIPSS to design projects that would unlock the potential of different zones of the country. He said that the South-East had been found to be the hub of talented manufacturers, hence the choice of Abia for the project.

He also stated that the project would not only enhance the marketability of made-in-Aba products but also boost productivity in the manufacturing sector of Abia.

Mr Omotayo said the institute was proposing to establish an international trade exhibition, ‘Ariaria Fest’, which would be held twice annually and comparable only to China’s Canton Fair.

He said the project components included building a modern exhibition hall, road networks, parks, technology transfers, and digital payment platforms, among others. He said the project would put Abia on the world map with other accruing benefits for the state and the country.

(NAN)