The call by the present Government to revive and restructure the Nigerian economy in all sectors including the Ajaokuta Steel company situated in Ajaokuta, Kogi State – Africa’s largest but stalled steel company received a boost recently with the formal announcement of the registration of the Ajaokuta City Chamber of Commerce.
According to a Press release by Arc.Bob Achanya (Ficent) in Abuja recently, Ajaokuta City Chamber is to facilitate bilateral commercial partnership with all relevant investors in Agriculture, Mining, Sustainable Energy, Trade and Iron and Steel development. The Chamber of Commerce wishes to take advantage of the steel industry in the State to woo investors into light automobile and means of mobility infrastructural development in the country. They stressed that using the Ajaokuta City Chamber of Commerce to attract investments of all sorts to Kogi State will bring the needed industrial development to the state for the needed sustained businesses for economic prosperity of Kogi state and Nigeria at large.
Responding to questions, Architect Achanya said with the Russians’ eminent return to the Ajaokuta steel complex which is now 98% completed, the stage was set for steel based planning and development of the country with Kogi state as the epicentre of the next industrial revolution in Nigeria .
A member of the Interim MANAGEMENT TEAM (IMT), Dr Onallo Akpa reiterated God’s blessings on Kogi state. He stressed that with oil, solid minerals and steel endowment of the state, the government and administrations now and in the future MUST be circumspect of the resource curse reality bedeviling Nigeria and other resource rich jurisdictions as the endowment does NOT necessarily result in prosperity except by deliberate, focused, responsive and responsible positive output oriented planning and implementation.
The Interim Management team commended the Kaduna state government for the vision to support the establishment of a private steel company in Kaduna state that is set to produce Nigeria’s first indigenous steel by 2022 while encouraging all other states with such potentials to go into such sustainable economic and industrial revolution collaborations that will catalyse and launch Nigeria into the comity of industrialized nations of the world.
The IMT said the entrance of Ajaokuta City Chamber will no doubt, ADD value to the several voices that are making tireless contributions to the resuscitation drive of Nigeria’s steel sector and congratulated Kogi State for it’s resource endowments while calling for policies that will explore and exploit same for the greater benefit of it’s people.
The Ajaokuta City Chamber of Commerce will leverage on the state being the gateway to the Southern and Northern parts of the country to bring the needed investments, trade and other opportunities of business to Kogi State.
The centrality of the location of Kogi State – having borders with ten other states in the country makes Kogi State an irresistible investment hub in Nigeria.
The Management team has experience in private and public sector collaboration and have managed and directed programs and engagements that promotes private sector driven economic city/hubs and activities in Nigeria. The IMT is manned by experienced technocrats, administrators and professionals of various backgrounds who have carved niches for themselves in their chosen careers and endeavours. They are set to leverage on their contacts all over the world to bring the necessary developments to the steel sector and Kogi State in particular.