Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has expressed the Abia State Government’s willingness to embrace and key into the Federal Government Medium-Term National Development Plan 2021-2025 aimed at engendering private sector growth, hinged on job creation and poverty reduction.

Ikpeazu who stated this while declaring open a two-day South-East Zonal Technical Workshop on Medium-Term National Development Plan 2021-2025 held in Umuahia said the present administration was committed to exploring every ingenuity to ensure that her resources are efficiently and effectively harnessed to upgrade the public facilities across the state.

The Abia Governor represented by his Deputy, Rt. Hon Ude Oko Chukwu pointed out that the five cardinal pillars of Agriculture, Education, Commerce/Industry, Health, Oil, and Gas with their institutional and infrastructural enablers are in tandem with the priority areas of the MTNDP 2021-2025 of the Federal Government with emphasis on non-oil revenue and diversification of the economy.

He expressed optimism that the Abia Long Term Development Plan will serve as a guide to all participants at the workshop and charged them to brace up to the new challenge of economic diversification for the common good of all as they interact, brainstorm, and make contributions as critical stakeholders in the implementation process of the laudable national policy.

The State Chief Executive said it is expected that the outcome of the Zonal workshop will enable Governments in the South-East Geopolitical Zone to key into the policy and accordingly ensure effective implementation.

In her address, the Permanent Secretary and Executive Secretary Abia State Planning Commission, Dr. Nnenna Chikezie noted that their contributions will accelerate economic and infrastructural development of the South East Zone within the implementation period of the Medium Term Development Plan and urged them to pay attention to the draft that will bring sustainable development to the region and improve the livelihood of the people.