By Odo Ogenyi, Uyo
Akwa Ibom governorment has set modalities to partner foreign firms, British African Business Alliance Limited and PJ-IC International to provide affordable medium density housing scheme for Civil Servants in the state.
It is also set to enhance the fortune of farmers in the state with the establishment of processing lines as standby off-takers of farm produce.
This is the outcome of the meeting between Governor Udom Emmanuel and the two firms where he assured that despite his few months to winding down his administration, he would continue to woo multinationals to explore the vast Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) opportunities and relatively business-friendly atmosphere in the state as government is unending and for the people.
The meeting which was a follow up to Emmanuel’s recent interaction with investors during the last London Summit on “Achieving Global Peace Through Trade, at Westminster, afforded British African Business Alliance Limited opportunity to explore investment windows in the area of Human Capacity Development, Real Estate and Power Generation, while PJ-IC International looked into Gas Cylinder production and Agricultural Processing Lines.
The Governor assured the investors of the state government’s readiness to partner them for speedy delivery of the housing scheme, explaining that the imperative of keeping the cost within affordable limits of Civil Servants to ensure the targeted beneficiaries are not priced out hence defeating the purpose.
“On the low-cost housing, there’s a scheme we’ve designed and we already have in the coffers, prepaid, five billion naira set aside to deliver some medium density housing of about six hundred and seventy five units.
“We’ve tried something before but at the end of it all, we realise the cost was much more than what the capacity of the 10-15 years mortgage that the public servants could finance, so the houses ended up being acquired by businessmen who could afford much more, who then lease them out to the Civil Servants at a cost that swallows up all their earnings.
“So the purpose and the social contract I have with them get defeated ab initio.” He explained.
He decried the situation which farmers are compelled to sell off their harvest at prices too low for business due to the perishable nature of farm produce and therefore expressed readiness to partner with PJ-IC International for a farm produce processing line.
The partnership, he affirmed, would make farming a lucrative business with a vast value chain where farmers have ready off-takers at acceptable prices, assuring the investors of fertility of Akwa Ibom soil to produce enough to feed the factories.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, British African Business Alliance Limited, David Smith said his second visit to Nigeria is a follow up to the discussion with the Governor on harnessing the abundant gas deposits in the state to generate electricity.
Smith assured on human capacity building through vocational education and provision of low-cost housing by his company and announced that his company was willing to ship a ready-made Gas Plant into the state.
He said that the investment-friendly atmosphere of the state administration has attracted other partners with specialty in waste recycling and power generation to invest in the state, assuring that the company is arriving soon.
In the delegation of PJ-IC International led by Dr Emeka Agwu were representatives from USA , Nigeria and Hong Kong accompanied by Mr Appiani Salvatore and Mr Poliakor Vitali.
