FG To Support Aba Textile Businesses

The Federal Government is exploring measures to support businesses in Abia State, particularly operators in Aba’s textile and garment sector, as part of efforts to address infrastructure and financing challenges confronting the industry.

The Special Adviser to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. John Uwajimogu, disclosed this when he led a delegation to the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, in his office.

Uwajimogu said the visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration between the Federal and Abia State governments and identifying areas where federal projects and investment opportunities could be attracted to the state.

He said the Federal Government had recognised Aba’s industrial potential, particularly its textile and garment cluster, and was considering interventions to address some of the major constraints limiting businesses in the sector.

According to him, infrastructure and access to finance remain among the key challenges facing businesses in the cluster.

“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 also interested in bringing more of its projects and programmes to Abia through closer collaboration with the state government.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Engr. Cornelius Adebayo, said the agency was seeking the cooperation of the Abia State Government to establish a Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate in the state.

Adebayo said the programme was designed to bring farmers together while providing infrastructure, security, agricultural inputs, market access and other facilities required to increase production and create sustainable incomes.

He appealed to Governor Otti to make suitable land available for the project, expressing hope that Abia could host a major NALDA agricultural project, including a processing facility.

Adebayo also described Otti as a “performer and reformer,” noting that NALDA’s mandate was centred on poverty reduction through agriculture.

Responding, Otti said his administration was ready to work with NALDA and other relevant stakeholders to develop Abia’s agricultural sector.

Otti described the proposed farm settlement as an opportunity to increase food production, create employment and reduce the state’s dependence on food imports.

He said that despite Abia’s relatively limited landmass, the state had fertile land suitable for the cultivation of crops including cassava, yam, coco yam, oil palm and cashew.

The governor recalled the farm settlements established in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the defunct Star Paper Mill, as examples of productive ventures that demonstrated the potential for large-scale economic activities in the state.

He also expressed concern that continued food importation was putting additional pressure on the foreign exchange market, stressing the need to encourage domestic production through deliberate investment in agriculture.

Governor Otti subsequently directed the Commissioners for Agriculture and Lands to identify suitable locations for the proposed initiative, including existing farm settlements.

He also directed that options for strengthening the operations of NALDA’s office in Osisioma be explored.