The economic gains expected from Abia State’s ongoing infrastructure drive have become a major incentive for businesses to return to Aba, with Governor Alex Otti assuring investors of an improved environment for production, employment and expansion.
Otti said the transformation of the commercial city was opening up fresh investment opportunities while enabling businesses to benefit from improved infrastructure, a safer operating environment and easier movement of goods and people.
The governor made the call while commissioning a hospitality facility built by Chief Greg Okafor, Chief Executive Officer of ORIS Signature, in Aba, where he urged industrialists and other investors who relocated from the city during years of insecurity to reconsider their decisions.
According to Otti, the administration’s intervention in roads and other critical infrastructure was designed not merely to beautify Aba but to reduce the constraints that had previously hindered commercial activities and private investment.
He cited the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Road and the removal of heaps of refuse and other obstructions that had previously hampered movement in the area, alongside other projects intended to open up the city for greater economic activity.
The governor said businesses returning to Aba stand to benefit from the expanding commercial opportunities created by the infrastructural renewal, stressing that investors who move early could secure strategic positions before available opportunities become more competitive.
“The time is ripe for investment in Aba,” Otti declared, warning that investors who delay could find it increasingly difficult to secure opportunities as more businesses take advantage of the emerging investment space.
He said the state government would continue to provide the infrastructure and business environment required to support private-sector investment, noting that the economic impact of new investments would extend beyond individual businesses.
Otti specifically linked the ORIS Signature investment to employment generation, increased economic output and higher internally generated revenue, while also providing accommodation and other services for travellers and visitors to the city.
“I take pride in the fact he employs thousands of Abia people and those living in Abia,” the governor said, adding that the investment would further create jobs, contribute to the state’s Gross Domestic Product, reduce poverty and increase internally generated revenue.
The governor also commended Okafor for committing capital to Aba, describing the investment as evidence that private-sector players could still see viable opportunities in the city amid the ongoing transformation.
For businesses considering a return, the emerging incentives therefore extend beyond physical infrastructure to include access to a revitalised commercial environment, improved connectivity, growing consumer activity, employment opportunities and the prospect of positioning early in a city undergoing major economic renewal.
The Mayor of Aba North, Timothy Iheke, said the changes recorded since the Otti administration assumed office had strengthened economic activities in the area, adding that investors were increasingly viewing Aba as a destination where their investments could operate in a more conducive environment.
