The Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, has assured residents and business leaders that his administration is dedicated to resetting the development agenda to restore and establish the state as a prosperous sub-national entity.
During an interactive session on Tuesday evening with selected resident business leaders and influential figures, Governor Otu directed members of his economic planning team to deliver presentations on his administration’s accomplishments, potential, and investment prospects.
He stressed the importance of active involvement by business leaders in the state in the government’s programs and visions to bolster the local economy.
Governor Otu noted that effective and strategic planning has been reinstated within the state government, with the groundwork for economic advancement meticulously laid out through establishing various clusters.
In his presentation, the Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the State Planning Commission, Dr. Bong Duke, identified the state development priorities to include making agriculture productive and profitable, growing tourism services, developing a solid private sector-driven economy, expanding access to affordable and qualitative education and social services, building, upgrading, and maintaining infrastructure services, institutionalizing essential health care services, and providing sustainable environmental services.
Duke revealed that the current administration has developed the “Local Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (LEEDS)” for local government administration as the state government expects the soon-to-be-elected local government council officers to follow the LEEDS agenda.
In his presentation, the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Michael Odere, disclosed that the state government follows international accounting standards and has restored trust. He revealed that so far, the administration of Governor Otu has been able to pay off about N70 billion of its inherited debt without borrowing.
Other members of the state economic team who spoke at the meeting included the State Attorney General, Barr. Ededem Ani, the Commissioner for Agriculture Mr. Johnson Ebokpo; the Director-General of the Bureau of Public-Private Partnership Dr. Francis Ntamu; and the convener of the interactive session, High Chief Higgins Peters.
They emphasized the need for substantial infrastructure development in the state, focusing on roads, bridges, and other essential facilities to support economic growth. The speakers outlined plans to attract private sector infrastructure investment to boost the state’s overall development.
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