FOR THE RECORD: Prosperity Through Partnership, By Alex Otti 

Being the Text of an Address Presented by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at the Opening Ceremony of the 2025 Abia-Türkiye Investment Summit/Product Exhibition at the International Conference Centre Umuahia on Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Protocols

1. Success is the product of relentless pursuit of opportunities — the willingness to go wherever the road leads. The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often in the disposition to make sacrifices, to follow an uncertain path and to run on the conviction that fortune favours the brave. The glory of exploration, beyond the new doors they open, is actually in the opportunities they offer us to appreciate the spread of the ocean and the infinite possibilities that it holds, to gaze farther into space and imagine what more lay ahead and to wander into the deep to behold the wonders of the universe, the interconnectedness of everything and the delicate system of balance that keeps our planet in its orbit.

2. This morning, we have gathered as a community of pathfinders and value drivers to learn about our two communities, Abia and Türkiye, and identify the opportunities that exist in our different parts of the world that could be leveraged to achieve outcomes that are mutually-beneficial, not only to the businesspeople and public officials in this auditorium, but to the groups and institutions that we represent; more importantly, to the men and women who in the future would look back to this day and remember its significance in the opening of new business frontiers and the expansion of the sea of opportunities for all of us. Let me on this note welcome our friends, business leaders and investors who have travelled from Türkiye and diverse corners of the world to be with us for the first Abia- Türkiye investment summit and product exhibition. May I also express my profound gratitude to the indigenous entrepreneurs who have equally come to tap into the networking and growth opportunities offered by this summit. Thank you for the great honour of your esteemed presence. I would also like to respectfully acknowledge the presence of the heads and representatives of several public and private sector institutions, community leaders and non-governmental organisations joining us for this important economic event. We are glad that you could spare some time from your busy schedule to be with us in Umuahia to interact with colleagues in the business ecosystem from within and outside Nigeria and identify new opportunities that could be used to drive scale as we begin to prepare for the New Year. To our friends, we say welcome to Umuahia, the capital city of Abia, God’s Own State.

3. The State Government has set up this event to achieve 3 interconnected outcomes — the first is to create a platform for local business leaders to have a handshake with their peers from other places, the second is to create partnership opportunities that our local businesses can leverage upon to get a foothold on regional and global markets and lastly, to let the world into Abia. You can interpret these objectives to represent another layer in the body of efforts by the government to expand the frontlines of opportunities available to our local entrepreneurs. While it is true that our GDP size is actually not the biggest, it is also a statement of fact that we have here in Abia, a long line of advantages that you will struggle to find elsewhere. For starters we have a large population of skilled and resilient workforce who can match the best anywhere in the world in terms of technical competences and yet, offers their skills and labour at a fairly decent wage rate. It may also interest our august visitors and friends to note that Ariara International Market, one of the biggest brick and mortar cosmopolitan markets in Africa, is found right here in Abia, in a city called Aba, the commercial nerve centre of this region of Nigeria. Aba is also one of the few destinations in Nigeria with regular and reliable electricity supply powered by the dreams of one man and his team of brave men and women who refused to take no for an answer. May I also announce to us that this State has one of the best networks of roads in the country; our communities are peaceful especially as our security system makes the whole of Abia a no-go area for criminals.

4. On account of what we have achieved in human capital development, road infrastructure expansion, security of lives and property, regular power supply, especially in Aba and of course, our historical strides in trade and commerce, the investors in this room seeking to extend their footprint to this region should look no more. You may wish to explore opportunities in manufacturing, retail value chains, logistics and transportation. Abia, you may also like to know, has specific set of advantages in fabrics and leatherworks; we produce in different parts of the State, high quality fashionable traditional and corporate attires, footwears for every occasion and activity and other set of wearables that are made from fabrics, leather and rubber. As an advisory, I would strongly encourage our friends who are coming to Abia for the first time to make plans to visit Aba, the economic heartbeat of the region. When you visit, do well to look in and identify suitable business ecosystems you can plug into for consistently rewarding returns on investments. Pay special attention to opportunities in housing development, manufacturing, metal fabrication and similar opportunities that the expanding economy of the city can support. Also bear in mind that Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s main oil city, is only about 60 kilometres from Aba. As businessmen, you know the import of this locational advantage to profitability and growth.

5. While in Aba, you may also do well to extend your trip to Akwete, a community in Ukwa along the southern corridor of the State, less than 40 kilometres from Aba. Akwete is known for producing the world famous akwete fabrics. The State Government, I am happy to report, is currently exploring partnership opportunities that would lead to the expansion of the output capacities of the local producers of akwete garments. Our target is to push this intricately- patterned handwoven textile material into the global mainstream fashion space. Ukwa, it may also interest you to know, holds extensive oil and gas deposits. I am sure the State Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources will be willing to provide a guide on the investment opportunities along that corridor particularly now that we have made some major progress in the layout and operationalisation of the Abia Industrial Innovation Park (AIIP) which is also located in Ukwa. AIIP, is envisioned to be a major innovation cluster in the West Africa sub-region. The Park which sits on two thousand hectares of land shall be dedicated to scaling industrial production and manufacturing processes for multiple business ecosystems. Designed to run on an independent energy system, AIIP will provide the industrial vehicle for harnessing the abundant oil and gas deposits in the region in ways that empower communities, create jobs and yield decent returns to investors.

6. Abia, like you may already know, is also a fertile place for investments in the agricultural value chain. The ecosystem in several communities across the 3 districts of the State support the production of multiple varieties of food and cash crops including root crops and cereals, vegetables, fruits, medicinal spices, palm produce, rubber, cocoa, cashew and so much more. I am glad that the Ministry of Agriculture is actively involved in this summit so I would encourage you to visit the Ministry’s stand or arrange a sit-down with the Honourable Commissioner to discuss opportunities within the agricultural value chain in all the local government areas. The good thing is that such discussions would be supported by accurate data which we have independently curated. As someone who understands the expectations of investors, I can assure that you can never go wrong by investing in the Abia agricultural value chain; whether your target is to produce food for our expanding population, inputs for industrial production or for export, you are sure to reap great returns from whatever you put in. May I also announce that our land administration system has been streamlined for efficiency using a combination of technology and human competences. My charge to you would be to go into the communities, interact with the local business leaders and take note of opportunities that offer strategic business advantages to your team. One thing you can be sure of is the steady support of the State Government to make success of your ventures. My charge to you once again would be to explore Abia, take trips round the State and see things for yourselves. As I had already mentioned, our road network supports smooth movement of individuals from one location to the other in good time and since you are in Abia, you can also take it for granted that your security is guaranteed.

7. May I, as I conclude, inform our friends that Abia is a major hub for micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs). In that regard, I would expect that the relevant government offices represented here shall arrange a session for the leaders of the MSME clusters around the State. I am convinced that there could be interesting synergies to be built from such interactions with special focus on products packaging, branding and export. Our people are desirous of playing on the big stage so having recorded great strides in international trade, I am convinced that our friends from Türkiye would have some interesting ideas to share with those of us still learning the ropes here.

8. Beyond the extensive advantages this summit would bring to those of us present in this room, I am also looking at how events like this could play a role in pushing genuine products from Africa to the world, opening up new frontiers of partnerships between our countries and helping the big business in Türkiye to find a footprint in the Africa market. We may not be at the top today, our purchasing power may not excite many international businesses but I can assure you that we are not going to remain this way for long; this is an economy on the rise, our investments in economic infrastructure are designed to create wealth, activate new frontlines of opportunities and put dormant assets to productive use. My joy, however, is that even when we are still scratching the surface, the eagle eyes of our friends from Türkiye have already caught what is coming and I cannot thank you enough for your confidence in the future of this State. Let me also assure that we shall continue to transform the great potential that you have seen into the springboard for our ascent. Thank you for coming and while keeping your eyes on business, do not forget that we have some wonderful delicacies and rich cuisines that may please your taste buds so take time to also relax and enjoy the warmth and general hospitality of Abia State.

9. May I also take a moment to thank the Honourable Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Dr Mrs Salome Obiukwu, the Special Adviser on Investment Promotion, Chief Greene Amankwe and everyone that worked behind the scenes to put this together. Thank you for bringing Türkiye to Abia. Like I often say, the reward for hard work is more work so brace yourself for more responsibilities in this regard.

10. Thank you for listening and May God bless Abia State.

Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR,

November 25, 2025.