Few days ago, Governor Willie Obiano announced that Anambra had put the structure in place to make the process of investing in Anambra easy for investors from America and other countries of the world. Delivering an address, titled: “Waiting for America” at the signing of a bilateral agreement between Anambra State and the City of Orange in New Jersey, USA, Governor Obiano declared that Anambra is in her finest moment in history and is therefore seeking to build partnerships that would help it leapfrog to a more advanced society.
No doubt, this move is not only commendable but apt; coming at a time when the state is ripe like a beautiful maiden waiting for suitors. Anambra, it must be admitted, has one of the highest literacy rates in Nigeria. It offers access to the largest retail market in West Africa and has the largest crop of experienced middlemen and suppliers with enough expertise to move goods across Africa.
The Light of the Nation state equally has easy access to industrial lands which have been mapped out in the state’s Land-Bank as well as offers a speedy company registration and issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy in record time. Above all, Anambra has been ranked as the most transparent and accountable state in Nigeria for having complied with International Public Sector Accounting System accounting standards.
More so, Anambra has abundant human and material resources. For instance, the state is blessed with crude oil, natural gas, bauxite, gypsum, lead, lignite, limestone, iron ore and salt among others. In addition, Anambra has the largest retail market in West Africa. With an economy of three point eight trillion naira, Anambra has the lowest poverty rate in Nigeria with two point three dollars per capita. Thus, if Anambra were an independent country, its GDP per capita would have been seventeenth in Africa. Anambra would have been ahead of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Cote de Voire, Senegal, Tanzania, Rwanda and many others. Anambra has great tourism potentials with the Ogbaukwu Cave and Waterfalls in Owerre-Ezukala and Ogbunike Cave in Ogbunike. Anambra is the tenth most populous state in Nigeria with a population of about six point five million people. And in the past five years, Anambra has been Nigeria’s safest state with crime rate at its lowest in living memory. Suffice it to say that Governor Obiano has made Anambra Nigeria’s most peaceful and business-friendly environment.
Akpokuedike invested heavily in education and as a result, a group of five school girls from Anambra State shocked the world in August last year when they defeated the United States, China, Spain, Turkey and Uzbekistan to win the Gold Medal at the World Technovation Challenge held at the Silicon Valley, in USA.
Again, four boys from Saint John’s Science and Technical College School, Alor also won the Bronze Medal at the World Festival of Engineering, Science and Technology in Tunisia in March this year. All these give hope that the future of Anambra state will be brighter than its present.
It is therefore no exaggeration to say that Anambra is the best place to locate an industry in Nigeria at the moment. The state has one of the highest literacy rates in the country, offers access to the largest retail market in West Africa and has the largest crop of experienced middlemen and suppliers with enough expertise to move goods across Africa.
Governor Obiano must be commended for taking a bold step in travelling abroad to woo investors. Last time, Governor Obiano and his team took the investment drive to Austria and threw the doors of the state wide open to Europe. This time, they went to the lovely city of Orange to invite America. From what is on ground, the moves are yielding positive results. The Obiano administration has attracted a considerable volume of investments over the past five years.
Ndigbo, especially Ndi Anambra in the Diaspora should help Akpokuedike to convince the foreign investors to come and invest in the state; in view of its numerous benefits. Anambra is looking for partners that will help exploit our natural resources. The state has over forty trillion standard cubic feet of gas that has not been touched yet. Ndi Anambra want partners that will exploit these rich reserves of gas for our mutual benefits. We need partners for the establishment of modular refineries. We also need partners in the power generation, agriculture, agro-allied industries and in the establishment of Industrial Parks.
Above all, Anambra state is looking for partners in Education, Healthcare Delivery, Mass Transit and in Leisure and Tourism. At the moment, Anambra is at her finest moment in history. Our youths are doing exploits and doing our country proud in science and technology. Our home-bred entrepreneurs are investing heavily in different sectors in the state. The state government is ready to give priority attention to foreign investors.
