Industrial Development

I met with the World Bank Group’s Small and Medium Enterprise Department in 2002 to muster support for Imo state small-scale industrialists. That effort was born out of my belief that if a state wants to achieve economic sustainability it must reduce over-dependence and over-consumption of foreign finished products, by its people making fundamental changes in their way of life through well-thought-out economic strategy. That fundamental change is to encourage local industries, especially micro, small and medium entrepreneurs. The state must encourage equal and open participation of various umbrella business and social organizations, such as the chamber of commerce, National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, National Association of Imo State Students, youth and women organizations. This is our state, we must do this together.  Equal participation includes an open-bid process for state contracts. Things that can be done in the state should be done in the state to encourage local industries. Our local businesses cannot achieve perfection without practice. But to achieve these, we must invest and or encourage investments in reliable and renewable energy and electricity to power the state and make it a production friendly environment. In my research over the years, I found out that the state has ample and cheap availability of products that could be developed in different local government areas to sustain them and the state. I have researched the heavy production of palm tree related products in Orsu local government, the abundance of raffia trees in Oru East, the large presence of cashew nuts in Njaba, the very arable lands in Ohaji Egbema, the palm oil deposits in the entire Owerri and Mbaise land, the large deposit of clay in Okigwe and Onuimo etc. Every local government area has at least one unique product that could be produced in commercial and even exportable quantities to earn foreign exchange for the people and improve their lives as well as improve internal revenue for the state. The potentials are virtually limitless and must be developed to the fullest benefit of the state.