Obaseki to host BRACED Commission governors

Godwin Obaseki, the Edo State Governor, will on Thursday play host to Governors of the South-South States for the BRACED Commission meeting.

BRACED is an acronym for Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo, and Delta, the six states that make up the South-South geopolitical zone.

Governors from Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo, and Delta are expected to attend the meeting.

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In a statement on Tuesday, Chris Nehikhare, Edo State commissioner for communication and orientation, said the meeting would be held in Benin City.

The BRACED Commission was established in 2010 under Article 14 of the BRACED Agreement and signed on June 13, 2011.

Its objective is to promote economic cooperation and regional integration, among the South-South States, contributing to the increasing standards of living of the people of the region.

Nehikhare noted, “The six governors of the South-South region will be meeting in Benin City, the capital of Edo State on Thursday, January 18, 2023, under the auspices of the BRACED Commission.”

“As the chairman of the BRACED Commission Governors’ Council, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki will host his colleagues: the governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Delta states alongside their commissioners of budget and planning.

According to Nehikhare, “This first meeting of the South-South Governors in 2024 will focus on how to revive and strengthen the BRACED Commission and the region’s aspiration for collective economic development and integration.

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He added “Issues that will be deliberated at the meeting are relating to the security of lives and property of the region and how to effectively embed its knowledge sharing and peer review mechanism. At the end of the meeting, a communiqué will be issued.”