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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Some Turkish companies participating in the on going Abia-Turkiye Investment Summit/Products Exhibition in Umuahia, have indicated interest in Abia’s agriculture, textile and power sectors.
The companies include MarinBio, Buser Project and Furniture Company, AK-AY Elektrik
The firms said that Abia’s expanding industrial base, strong agricultural potential and ongoing power-sector reforms position the state as an attractive destination for foreign investment.
The Emerging Market Analyst of MarinBio, Mrs Christie Afolahan said her organisation produces microbial fertilizers designed to restore soil health and improve crop yields, will help to address erosion challenges common in the South-East.
She said with successful trials recorded in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, her company was ready to partner Abia’s farmer clusters and livestock groups to boost productivity.
The Business Development Manager of Buser Project and Furniture Company, Ms Sultan Tosyali, said Abia’s creative workforce and natural fibres support farm-to-fabric industrial development.
Tosyali said that sourcing textiles and leather locally would strengthen the state’s manufacturing base.
She said that improved processing capacity and upgraded skills were essential to position Abia as a national textile hub.
On his own, the Project Director of AK-AY Elektrik, Mr. Ulas Aslam, said Nigeria’s power sector faces transmission constraints, distribution losses and gas supply challenges.
Aslam commended Abia for taking major steps in establishing its electricity market and deploying 53 transformers to various communities to improve supply reliability.
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He said that AK-AY Elektrik was rehabilitating transmission substations in Umuahia, Aba and Alaoji to expand capacity.
He emphasised the need for the establishment of reliable electricity, adding that it would accelerate industrial growth in Aba and other economic corridors.
Meanwhile, a Senior Official of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr Amanze Okere, said Nigeria needs $2.3 trillion for infrastructure by 2043, averaging $100 billion annually,
Okere said that despite this projection the national budget was still less than ₦55 trillion, underscoring urgent need for public-private partnerships (PPPs).
He said that PPPs will allow the government and private sector to share risks, which means that the government provides policy, regulation, and land, while private investors bring finance, technical expertise, and operations.
Speaking at the summit also, the Director General of Abia Public-Private Partnerships and Investment Promotion, Mr Chinedum Chijioke, expressed the readiness of the state government to explore PPP opportunities under its policies and global best practices.
Chijioke said that PPP in Abia operates on three pillars: investment promotion, facilitation, and aftercare.
He said that the state government welcomes solicited and unsolicited proposals and these proposals under go rigorous evaluation for legal clarity, stakeholder alignment, land equity, technical competence, and financial viability.
Chijioke disclosed that Abia was currently processing 85 of such PPP projects across agriculture, power, transport, markets, and healthcare and 14 had received approval-in-principle.
The Special Adviser on Investment Promotion and Public-Private Partnership, (PPP) Chief Jerome Green-Amakwe, said that the summit was designed to deepen international partnerships between Abia and foreign investors in line with the state government’s development agenda.
Green-Amakwe, said that the forum would also showcase investment opportunities to attract investors and boost the state’s economy.
