Soludo’s industrialisation and job creation agenda are on course

In the last 37 months, under Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s watch, Anambra State has experienced the kind of infrastructural and human capital development that have never been seen within any 8-year period in its history. Yet, Governor Soludo continues to emphasize that the people and residents of Anambra State ‘ain’t seen nothing yet’. Governor Soludo’s track record as a transformational central bank governor and his recent achievements in Anambra make him believable. This column believes in him.

It is clear that the governor’s agenda to massively create well-paying jobs, industrialize the state and drive traffic to Anambra is on course.

With designs fully completed, all is now set for the take-off of the construction of 3 brand-new eco-friendly cities in Anambra: the 4,700 hectares Awka new capital city; the 5,000 hectares new commercial and logistic city in Onitsha – i.e. the new Onitsha – and the 3,000 hectares Anambra Mixed-used Industrial City (AMIC). The vision is to create new axes of prosperity and economic growth in Anambra with the aim of creating millions of well-paying jobs.

The new industrial city in Anambra (AMIC) is structured to make Anambra, which is already well-known as the commercial capital of the south east, the manufacturing capital of the south east and Nigeria, by extension. AMIC will have a Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone; Automotives and Motor Vehicle Zone; Light Engineering, Construction Material, Electrical & Electronics and General Manufacturing Zone; Export Emporium; Chemical and Pharmaceutical Zone; Textile and Leather Processing Zone; Residential Zone and an Entertainment Zone.

These are big projects. The plan is to develop these projects through a combination of public and private sector investments. The public sector will provide catalytic investments – in the form of common facilities like roads, initial grid electricity, etc. – in order to spur private sector investments. For example, the Anambra State government is already constructing a 33kV substation in AMIC. In the coming months, the state will experience a paradigm shift – including significant private sector led investments – in its electricity market as Anambra’s electricity law is now in operation. The recently established Anambra Development and Investment Corporation will be a vehicle that would help catalyze the private sector investments that would transform the GDP of the state.

Despite being on course to achieve a total of 800km of fully asphalted brand-new roads in the next 6 months, the Governor Soludo-led administration is even more aggressive in its road construction agenda (including the construction of associated bridges). The government wants to dualize all Trunk A roads and roads leading to Awka in the state – whether federal or state. (These 800km of brand-new roads are exclusive of the over 1000km of roads that have been made motorable through the state’s zero pothole program.)

Another grand project that is already putting Anambra on the map in the tech ecosystem is the Solution Innovation District. So far, this innovation district has trained and up-skilled millions of youths in coding, programming and various tech skills. But the next step, which Governor Soludo is aggressively pursuing, is the development of a 13 hectares technology innovation district. The first iconic building in this space is being constructed. This innovation district will be Anambra’s own ‘Silicon Valley’: a place where venture capitalists and private equity investors can invest in tech start-ups, fintech and various technology businesses. It will also be a place where businesses can build their own data centers and create high-paying jobs.

In terms of medical tourism and its associated job creation, Anambra’s smart nursing school which is at an advanced stage of construction, is one of the enablers. This training centre will provide support for the upcoming comprehensive state-of-the-art cancer (oncology) diagnostic and treatment centre and the world class trauma centre that will be commissioned in the coming days. Tech will also be further deployed on all newly built and renovated general hospitals and primary healthcare centers across the state. The ongoing telemedicine infrastructure in the state is also being deepened. All these – with the Anambra Pharmaceutical Distribution Hub, which will soon be commissioned – will create a resilience healthcare ecosystem in the state.

The Governor Soludo- led administration intends to create millions of jobs through Tourism. Apart from the just commissioned world class Fun City in Awka, designs have been completed for the revitalization of Igbo-Ukwu Museum, Ogbunike Cave, Agulu Lake, Owerre Ezukala Cave, Awka Wild Park and Anam Beach. The on-going 10-storey 5-star Marriot hotel will be an enabler for Governor Soludo’s tourism vision.

These industrialization agenda – together with the state’s One Youth Two Skills program which will be hitting a landmark milestone of creating 100,000 youth entrepreneurs and millionaires in the coming years – will help empower millions of young people, directly or indirectly. The aggressive investment in the education space will continue to equip young people in Anambra for the future ahead. It is believed that the upcoming technology and leadership institutions to be built in Anambra will help prepare the manpower for the new industries in the state.

Currently, Anambra is one of the safest states in Nigeria. This is as a result of the innovative security measures being pursued by the Governor Soludo-led administration. Governor Soludo is determined to keep Anambra very safe.

The future of Anambra is very bright!

Nwankwo is the special adviser to Soludo on special projects.