Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has restated his administration’s willingness to partnering the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) towards developing the state’s abundant Raw Materials.
Governor Otti who stated this while receiving a delegation from the Raw Materials Research and development Council led by its Director-General and CEO, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, at Nvosi Isialangwa South LGA, noted that such partnership would enable the state actualize a shared vision of economic transformation.
While highlighting Abia’s rich endowment in Agricultural and Mineral deposits, Governor Otti pledged his administration’s full support for the mandate of the Council.
The Governor who also noted the critical role of the Council in national development, especially in advancing Manufacturing, Small and Medium-Scale Industries, and other key sectors, stressed the need for Nigeria to shift from mere extraction to value addition in both Agricultural and Mineral resources.
The State Chief Executive expressed optimism that Nigeria would build a thriving economy driven by Agriculture, like the late Premier of the defunct Eastern Region, Dr Micheal Okpara who achieved a lot without reliance on oil.
He assured the delegation that his government would allocate suitable land to facilitate the Council’s operations in the State.
In his address, the DG and CEO of Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Professor Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, while commending Governor Alex Otti for his visionary, reformatory and transformative leadership, disclosed that the Governor’s remarkable strides stand as irrefutable evidence of a leader imbued with competence, integrity and unyielding passion for the development of the state.
Professor Nnanyelugo noted that the visit was in furtherance of the Council’s statutory mandate to drive industrialization through sustainable development and utilization of Nigeria’s vast raw material resources, adding that Abia with its rich Agricultural and industrial base stands as a strategic partner towards unlocking Nigeria’s natural endowments for economic diversification, value addition and job creation.
He used the forum to invite the Governor to participate in the maiden edition of the Africa Raw Materials Summit taking place at the Abuja Continental Hotel from 20th May to 22nd May 2025, revealing that the summit which has so far confirmed participants from across 72-countries, aims at deepening Africa’s raw material markets, sharing knowledge on processing technologies and strengthening value chains.
