Chidi Samuel || Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, of Abia State, says his administration will remain ever committed to harnessing the potentials of Aba, the commercial capital of the state with a view to achieving industrialization in Nigeria in general and Abia in particular.
The governor, who was the guest lecturer at the Business Hallmark Public Policy Forum lecture in Lagos on Thursday, revealed that Aba exports over 1 million bales of shoes to Cotonou, Togo, and other African countries.
He said his administration will continue to support and encourage the local manufacturers as a way of saying “well done to those who sweat daily to make the country proud through their productive activities.”
On how to ensure that the local products are of qualities that can compete favourably with their foreign counterparts, Governor Ikpeazu, who dressed in Aba products from hair to toe, disclosed that a quality control board has been constituted for that purpose.
The governor has been eloquent in championing the Made-In-Aba Campaign, which has seen the transformation of the Aba brand into a national conversation and has led to over N2 billion in direct orders to the producers of various goods and services in Aba.
Through the relentless campaign and assumption of the role of Chief Marketer of Made-In-Aba products, the governor is succeeding in making the Aba artisans regain their confidence even as they proudly retake their place as the premier Small and Medium Scale Enterprise hub in West Africa.
The lecture attended by captains of Industry and business men took Place at the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Victoria Island, Lagos.