The Anambra State governor, Prof Charles Soludo has expressed his determination to partner with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the organized private sector to achieve his administration’s industrialization agenda.
Gov Soludo gave the assurance at the MAN Business/Stakeholders Town Hall Meeting in Onitsha.
The governor who described the community of manufacturers as true partners of progress, recalled his meeting with the landlords’ association and revealed that they had talked about Onitsha and its environs, and the need to revive its fortune as a Commercial city of repute
He noted that his administration is already tackling the foundational issues and disclosed that there are plans to pass a law to make touting illegal and punishable by imprisonment for those found guilty.
Prof Soludo stressed that his administration’s major goal is to transform Anambra from a state with a largely informal economy into a hub for industry, technology, and leisure.
He disclosed that the Anambra industrial policy would soon be implemented, and hinted that a new Commissioner for Industry had been appointed to support his vision for manufacturing and industrialization.
“With a sizeable urban population, Anambra’s future lies in industrialization and manufacturing, and we are dedicated to following this path. Our goal for Anambra is to make it a thriving community where people want to live and visit. People won’t be able to invest in the state if they can’t come and feel at home.
“In our master plan, we have also acquired 100 hectares of land that will house the center of commerce and grow to be Africa’s largest shopping mall, as well as 4000 hectares of land that will be an industrial city and the Nnewi Automobile Park at Akwaihedi.We will develop a power policy, now that the Nigerian constitution has been amended to include power on the concurrent list,” he said.
