UMUAHIA — The Federal Government has begun moves to support businesses in Abia State, particularly the textile and garment industry in Aba, with infrastructure and access to finance identified as key constraints requiring urgent intervention
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Industry, Trade and Investment, John Uwajimogu, disclosed this on Wednesday when he led a delegation to a meeting with Governor Alex Otti at the Government House, Umuahia
Uwajimogu said the Federal Government had taken note of Aba’s strong industrial capacity, particularly its thriving textile and garment cluster, and was exploring concrete measures to support businesses operating in the sector
He said the delegation was in Abia to deepen engagement with the state government and identify areas of collaboration in attracting federal projects, investments and interventions to the state
“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
“And 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,” he said
Uwajimogu added that the Federal Government was interested in bringing more of its projects and programmes to Abia as part of efforts to stimulate economic development and expand opportunities for businesses in the state
NALDA seeks land for mega farm
Also on the delegation was the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Cornelius Adebayo, who sought the state government’s support for the establishment of a Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate in Abia
Adebayo described Otti as a performer and reformer, saying NALDA’s mandate was focused on poverty alleviation through agriculture
He said the proposed mega farm would aggregate farmers while providing infrastructure, security, agricultural inputs and access to markets to boost production and create sustainable incomes
Adebayo expressed hope that Abia would host a major NALDA agricultural project, including a processing facility, and appealed to the governor to provide suitable land for the initiative
Responding, Otti said his administration was ready to collaborate with NALDA and other stakeholders to unlock the state’s agricultural potential
He described the proposed farm settlement as a practical pathway to increasing food production, creating jobs and reducing the state’s dependence on food imports
The governor said that despite Abia’s limited landmass, the state had fertile and arable land suitable for cultivating cassava, yam, cocoyam, oil palm and cashew
Otti recalled the success of farm settlements established in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the defunct Star Paper Mill, as examples of productive ventures that demonstrated the capacity to build sustainable enterprises locally
He said the proposed initiative aligned with his administration’s vision, stressing that excessive dependence on imported food was putting additional pressure on the foreign exchange market
Otti therefore called for deliberate investment in local production to strengthen food security and reduce pressure created by food imports
The governor subsequently directed the Commissioners for Agriculture and Lands to identify suitable locations for the proposed project, including existing farm settlements, while also exploring measures to strengthen the operations of NALDA’s office in Osisioma
Members of the State Executive Council attended the meeting