His Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe (Agbogidi), Obi of Onitsha, will on Monday, October 3, deliver Anambra State 25th Anniversary Lecture, titled, “Think Nigeria, invest in Anambra – Aku luo uno”.
The lecture, according to Deputy Governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke, who heads the the Organizing Committee of the anniversary, is aimed at wooing Anambra indigenes and their neighbours from the South East, to invest in the state, in line with the blueprint of Governor Willie Obiano administration which encourages indigenous investors to take advantage of the vast investment opportunities in agriculture, industry, trade, commerce and oil and gas sectors in Anambra.
It would be recalled that in pursuit of investment drive, Obiano had in 2015, established the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), a one-stop service centre that structures and facilitates business partnerships between the state and private investors.
The agency, which has Chief Joe Billy Ekwunife as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO), provides information, support and guidance to prospective investors, implements aftercare strategy and also provides a project equity contribution in the form of land, other intangibles and basic infrastructure such as access roads to ease the burden on investment in the state.
A number of indigenous investors, as documented in ANSIPPA brochure, have benefited from this arrangement. These include, Coscharis Farms Limited, promoted by Dr. Cosmas Maduka, with investment of $120 million, Falcon Corporation Limited, which invested $100 million, Joseph Agro Limited ($150 million), Cardinal Developers ($98 million), Richbon Nigeria Limited, with investment of $70 million and several others.
The lecture, which is expected to advance the government’s “think home investments”, initiative, will kick off the second phase of the anniversary celebration which started with a world press conference addressed by the Governor on Friday, August 26, 2016, at the Government House, Awka.
This second phase of the four-month long anniversary celebration programme, according to the coordinator of the Anambra at 25 events, Emeka Okonkwo, is fashioned to draw attention to the “rich tourism potentials of Anambra State, especially in this period of economic difficulty which calls for diversification and creativity in the revenue drive of the state”, in line with the desire of the government, to depend less on the monthly Federal Allocation from Abuja.
Okonkwo, while addressing the traditional rulers of the 179 communities in Anambra State, at the Government House, Awka, Anambra State capital, on behalf of the Organising Committee, explained that the Anambra at 25 Committee intended to use the historic silver jubilee of the state to showcase not only its rich cultural heritage, natural endowments but also its unique tourisms potentials.
“Tourism all over the world is a big business. Many countries around the globe derive huge revenue from tourism. Anambra with its diverse tourism endowments should rightly be on the front role of tourism sector in Nigeria if the sector is well developed, especially as government has provided the enabling environment for it to thrive”, he said.
Okonkwo added: “We are grateful to the government of Governor Willie Obiano for the decisive manner it fought against criminality and insecurity in Anambra State in the past two years. Now with a secured Anambra, we will no longer be afraid to invite our brothers, sisters, friends and other tourism enthusiasts from within and outside the shores of Nigeria to come and have a feel of tourism in Anambra state,” adding that developing and harnessing the tourism potentials in the state will not only earn it extra revenue but will also stimulate economic activities in areas that host the numerous tourism sites in the state.
Okonkwo also disclosed that the anniversary celebration was at no cost to the government, stressing that sponsorship cost is borne by private individuals and corporate bodies who are using the opportunity of the historic event to identify with Anambra.