We’re moving into brighter future – Obiano

AS Anambra continues to recalibrate the machinery already put in place to encourage Diaspora citizens to bring their investments home under the Akulueuno business philosophy, Gov. Willie Obiano has reiterated his commitment to taking the state to a brighter and greater future.

  The governor restated this point in address he presented at the just concluded 3rd Anambra Business Summit and Investment roundtable.

  Speaking at the summit which was held at Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia under the theme ‘Beyond Infrastructure: Rethinking the Future,’ Gov. Obiano stated that no stone would be left unturned by his administration in its effort to launch Anambra State on a sustainable economic development charte.

  The forum came as a flagstop on the inauguration of Anambra Vision 2070 committee, which was mandated to steer a 50-year development plan for Anambra State – broken into short term phases.

  Coming as the third in series of business roundtables that drew ace technocrats from various fields of endeavour to brainstorm on best development models for  a sustainable future for Anambra State, Gov. Obiano used the forum to encourage ndi Anambra to rededicate themselves to his vision “perfectly aligning to the core philosophy behind the 50 year development plan,” as sure bet to bringing all within a touching distance of the planned future and a foretaste of what it holds.

  According to Gov. Obiano, there cannot be an excellent today without giving concessions to future planning.  

  “The human intellect and the quality of human thought will soon become the differentiator between societies. And the only link between today and that dispensation is quality education, created by quality teachers in quality schools. Our society missed out on all the stages of industrial revolution up to the present ICT revolution. We cannot afford to miss out on the exploding dispensation of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence,” he said.

  Speaking in a keynote Speech, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh buttressed the need for a technology-based development.

Dr. Ekeh said that the emerging realities of this century indicate that the world is inclining towards a knowledge driven society that is largely dependent on ICT and artificial intelligence, reiterating the urgency to move from analogue to digital systems and the need for government to invest more in education and also develop clusters for advancements in ICT, coding, digital entrepreneurship and other areas of development in artificial intelligence.

  Also speaking as a resource person, former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo, said that bulwark of problem facing society presently is the prevalence of “sequential discontinuity system of truncated ideas and programmes as a result of the four-eight years” in Nigeria.

  Prof Soludo, who also chairs Anambra State Committee on Vision 2070, said that the summit was a short term stimulus that would drive the long term destination of where Anambra wants to be – describing the summit as timely while lauding Gov   Obiano for the innovative, visionary and legacy plans

  Chairman of Anambra Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Ike Chiobi said that going by the current growth rate, there would be a projected population of about 10 million people by year 2070, which he explains as reason for the roundtable to rethink how things are done in all sectors of the state economy.

  The summit was divided into four sessions with panelists that discussed Education and Health; ICT and the Creative Economy; Tourism and Hospitality; Infrastructure and Housing.