Abia, SON to train Aba entrepreneurs, certify products for export

By Peter Okore, Umuahia

The Abia State Government has announced plans to partner with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to train Aba entrepreneurs and certify locally manufactured products for export to the international market.

The State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday night in Umuahia while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting.

He said the initiative is aimed at enhancing the export potential of Aba-made products while tackling the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard goods in markets across the state, particularly in Aba.

Kanu also announced that the State Executive Council had approved the establishment of two greenhouses in each of the state’s three senatorial districts. The project, to be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, is intended to support the government’s drive for year-round vegetable farming under a controlled environment.

He further disclosed that the state had inaugurated a Planning and Implementation Committee for the commissioning of the Federal Government-owned Nigeria Agri-Business and Agri-Industry Development Initiative (NAADI). The committee comprises representatives of key ministries, including Trade and Commerce, Agriculture, Industry and SMEs, as well as the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, the National Research Institute and other stakeholders.

According to the commissioner, the partnership between the Federal and Abia State governments is designed to unlock the state’s agricultural, agribusiness and agro-industrial potential, with a strong focus on economic diversification and growth in the non-oil sector.

He added that Abia would become the ninth state to implement the initiative, noting that the official commissioning date would be announced after the completion of consultations between the state and federal governments.

On the state’s Smart School Initiative, Kanu said Governor Alex Otti is scheduled to commission the Umuomaiukwu Smart School in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.

He explained that the facility, formerly known as Umuomaiukwu Community Primary School, has been transformed from a conventional public school into one of the state’s flagship technology-driven basic education institutions.

According to him, the project underscores the administration’s commitment to improving basic education through innovation, technology and world-class learning infrastructure.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Basic and Secondary Education, Sir Kenechukwu Nwosu, described the Umuomaiukwu Smart School as one of the flagship projects under the state’s Smart School Initiative.

He said the school now features 10 fully equipped smart classrooms with interactive smart boards, multimedia teaching tools, learning management systems, teachers’ workstations and digital learning devices for pupils.

Nwosu added that the facility also has a modern ICT laboratory, a multipurpose hall, off-grid solar power, potable water supply, fire safety installations and a 24-hour CCTV surveillance system to provide a secure, technology-driven learning environment.

He noted that the school had previously suffered a significant decline in enrolment due to dilapidated infrastructure but has recorded an increase of more than 300 per cent in pupil enrolment since its transformation.

According to him, teachers deployed to the school have completed three phases of intensive capacity-building programmes to equip them with the skills required for technology-driven teaching.