NAN – Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, on Saturday reiterated his call on stakeholders in the industrial sector to invest in the state, assuring of adequate incentives.
Akpabio made the call in Abuja while speaking at Akwa Ibom Day at the ongoing 9th Abuja International Trade Fair.
The theme of the fair is “Strengthening SMEs for Economic Growth’’.
The governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr Ufot Nkangude, said no investor in the state would have electricity supply problem as the government had a 110-megawatt power generating plant.
He said that through the plant, no less than 85 per cent of the state had been electrified, adding that the remaining part would be connected to the grid before the end of his administration in May, 2015.
He said that the state government was currently building an Export Processing Zone which was already nearing completion, adding that the state also had an international and cargo airport.
The governor assured of availability of other incentives that would ensure security and profitability of businesses in the state.
In his remarks at the occasion, President of Abuja Chambers of Commerce Mines, and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA), organizers of the fair, Dr Solomon Yagba, said that the chamber was partnering the state in developing SMEs.
Yagba said that the partnership was engendered by the great opportunities and conditions for growth of commerce in the state.
He stressed the need for the development of SMEs in the country, regretting that many graduates still roamed the streets due to lack of jobs.
“If our industries, especially the SMEs, were developed, many of them would have been employed,” he said.
Yagba also disclosed that some investors from South Africa had concluded plans to build a shopping mall in Nigeria.
He said that the mall would be the largest in Africa, adding that it would be constructed in the Abuja trade fair complex where land had already been provided for it.
He said that work on the mall was expected to commence in December, 2014.
