Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s Council of Igbo Business Leaders and the South-East Development Commission have collaborated for economic development and integration in Igbo land.
According to the duo, it was high time critical stakeholders in the South-East region united to forge a formidable front for the development of the zone to stem the tide of youth unemployment and other social menaces.
Speaking at a meeting in Enugu on Monday, Chairman of the Council of Igbo Business Leaders, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, said the Igbo should factor the South-East Zone into their investment plans, adding that “our region has suffered so much over a long time, combined with several other historical, political, social and economic factors.”
Ohuabunwa, who outlined the mandate of the Council to include the identification of young Igbo entrepreneurs and grooming them towards mega business ventures; the creation of a united and credible voice that will speak for the business community in Igbo land; and the creation and development of markets in Igbo land, among others, called for synergy with the South-East Development Commission and other stakeholders.
He said, “This is the opportunity we long wished for. I must thank Mr. Mark Okoye for responding quickly to our letter and the board and management for approving this meeting. Let me thank, upfront, my colleagues who have made the sacrifices to be here today despite the apparent short notice and conflict with previous important schedules.
“The first assignment of the Council was to review the terms of reference and, after an exhaustive debate, it became clear to us that what Ohanaeze Ndigbo essentially wants us to do is to work with governments in our region and with agencies charged with regional development, and to support them in bringing enhanced economic development to Igbo land and changing the situation and condition of our people.
“Our region has suffered so much neglect over a long time, combined with several other historical, political, social and economic factors. Our people have been widely dispersed all over Nigeria, where they have made significant contributions to the social and economic development of those regions.
“Over time, this has resulted in the apparent neglect of our region in terms of economic and social development. Youth unemployment has become rife and there have been troubling upticks in social malfeasance.
“It is therefore the desire of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide to use the auspices of this Council to guide our people who wish to invest at home on what to do to have pleasant experiences. But to enable us perform this role appropriately, we need to be on the same page with governments and development agencies in our region.
“We need to understand the investment plans and policies of the state governments and the South-East Development Commission so that we can correctly represent the issues and guard against misinformation or mischief.”
On his part, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the South-East Development Commission, Mr. Mark Okoye, thanked the leadership of the Council and urged partnership in order to move the region forward.
He said there was a need to entrench investment mobilisation, diaspora and domestic networks, South-East venture capital programmes, small and medium enterprise development and capacity building, as well as advisory and policy input among stakeholders.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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