The Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s Council of Igbo Business Leaders and the South-East Development Commission have collaborated for economic development and integration in Igboland.
According to the two groups, it is high time critical stakeholders of the Sout-East region united to forge a formidable front for the development of the zone to stem the tide of youth unemployment, among other challenges.
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 in their investments plans.
Ohuabunwa, who outlined the mandate of the council to include identification of young Igbo entrepreneurs and groom them towards mega business ventures, creation of a united and credible voice that will speak for the business community in Igboland, and creation and development of markets in Igboland, among others, called for synergy with the South-East Development Commission and other stakeholders.
He said, “This is the opportunity we long wished for… 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 significant contributions to the social and economic development of those regions. Over time, it has resulted in apparent neglect of our region in terms of economic and social development. Youth unemployment became rife and there been troubling upticks in social malfeasance.
“It is therefore the desire of the 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 we can correctly represent the issues and guide 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 commended the partnership move, saying such will move the region forward.
He called on the council to deploy its business acumen and contacts towards entrenching investment mobilisation, diaspora and domestic network, small and medium enterprises development and capacity building, among others.