Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA), a city chamber, has decried the incessant packing of heavy-duty trucks on Imo River Bridge, saying that the excess weight of the vehicles can lead to the collapse of the bridge. Such an eventuality, it said, would negatively affect the economy of Abia State.
Lawrence Obetta, managing director, Lawpac Investment Limited, who made this observation at his installation, as the 16th president of ACCIMA, attributed the anomaly to multiple security checkpoints at Owerrinta, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State section of the bridge.
He implored security agencies in Abia State to dismantle the multiple checkpoints at the foot of the bridge to prevent heavy-duty trucks from packing on the bridge.
Obetta promised that the new executive would work assiduously in the next two years to keep the chamber vibrant and busy for the benefit of the entire members of Aba business community.
To achieve this, he said that the chamber would liaise with various Universities and Polytechnics within the State, to organise various training workshops and seminars that would help to improve the technical and managerial skills of its members.
This is as he also stated that the chamber under his watch would collaborate with various financial institutions like the Bank of Industry (BoI), Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Nirsal Microfinance Bank, and other development banks, to work out affordable financial assistance to Aba business community.
According to him, synergy with related Federal and State government agencies like the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and various research institutes to find solution to various management and industrial problems of the business community.
He further stated that the chamber intended to partner with various international development organisations like the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), African Development Bank (ADB), among others towards the development of Aba industrial hub.
He observed that the collaborations, if actualized, would enhance the economy of the State, which has been recognised as the small and medium enterprises (SME) capital of Nigeria, through the efforts of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
He commended Ikpeazu’s giant strides in sustaining the tempo of socio-economic development in Abia State, especially Aba, the state’s commercial hub.
Andy Uba-Obasi, immediate past president of ACCIMA, in his address, explained that ACCIMA under him, advanced talks with Swiss International Group for the takeover of Enyimba Hotels, hosted several business opportunity fora with divers business groups and organisations, like Eco Bank, Korean Embassy in Nigeria, South Horizon Energy Company, Greenvile LNG, Bank of Industry, among others.
He revealed that plans were on to introduce a new group within the chamber to be known as “Emerging Business Leaders”. The goal of the new group according to Obasi, is to increase the involvement of young professionals in the business community and promote an energised future for the chamber.
