Anambra is ready for investors – Soludo

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, on Thursday, enumerated areas of attraction for foreign and local investors, stressing that the state was ready for investors.

Soludo, who spoke at the first Anambra Investment Summit in Awka, said to add to the numerous advantages, the state ranks first among states in the southeast in ease of doing business and 7th in the country.

He listed areas of his priority in turning Anambra from “a departure lounge to a destination lounge” as infrastructure, agriculture, power, urban regeneration and rail feasibility, among others.

He said: “Our goal is to turn Anambra from a departure lounge to a destination lounge, a sustainable state is on course.

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“Anambra is a hub politically by air, land and sea. It has the largest manpower population density and largest market in West Africa and huge and strong diaspora population”.

Soludo said that already, the state had already acquired 106 hectares of land at Ukpo- Ukwulu area for its export emporium and to acquire another 700 hectares for an industrial hub. He said he would not mind putting his own personal money as he did in Transcorp to make any industrial initiative a success.

Soludo promised to name prominent institutions after Anambra people who invest at home and give employment to citizens.

He said: “I will put in my own money as equity to demonstrate seriousness. We will fish out those who help Anambra State in terms of building factories, and employing people.

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“We will name major institutions our past leaders and those who build industries and employ people.”

“He also promised to break the jinx of rural and urban pipe-borne water supply.

Mark Okoye, the managing director of Anambra State Investment Protection and Promotion Agency (ANSIPPA), in his welcome address, said that Soludo was laying a building block for a prosperous state: a building block for a smart city, a pivotal juncture to our journey to building a mega city.”

The summit attracted large audiences, including the Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, the United Nations Organisation country director, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development and several industrialists.