The Federal Government is moving to bolster Abia State’s economy, focusing on infrastructure and financial support for Aba’s textile and garment manufacturing hub alongside expansion in the agricultural sector.
The initiative was unveiled in Umuahia on Wednesday during an official visit to Governor Alex Otti by a federal delegation led by John Uwajimogu, Special Adviser to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment. Uwajimogu stressed that central authorities had recognised the city’s manufacturing prominence and aimed to remove key operational hurdles.
“One of the biggest things that we see coming out of Abia State is the strong industrial capacity in Aba, particularly in the textile and garments sector,” Uwajimogu stated.
He added, “We have been thinking of how, from the federal level, we can support the businesses that are working in that sector and have come up with ideas on how we can address some of the biggest binding constraints that they often face, one being infrastructure and the other one being finance”.
Uwajimogu assured state officials that the administration is actively pursuing joint solutions, saying, “We are also coming to discuss what we can bring to the table and help resolve and address those binding constraints”.
The visit also addressed agricultural development through Cornelius Adebayo, Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority. Adebayo requested state land allocations for NALDA’s Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate initiative, a scheme intended to aggregate local farmers, provide processing plants, improve security, and expand access to markets.
Otti confirmed Abia’s readiness to partner on federal projects to maximise farming output across the state. Pointing to the area’s fertile soil, which is ideal for cultivation of cassava, yam, oil palm, and cashew, Otti observed that importing food places heavy pressure on the foreign exchange market, making targeted investment in domestic agriculture essential.