Business
Abia’s $1.3bn medical city ready in 24 months, pays N4.1bn counterpart fund for rural roads
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, is set to flag off the construction of a $1.3 billion Abia Medical City on July 10, 2025. The project, sited on 200 hectares of land in Owerrinta, Osisioma Local Government Area, is designed to reverse medical tourism and boost healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
The medical city will feature a 1,000-bed hospital equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities, a five-star hotel complex, and accommodation for patients and their families. The project is expected to be completed within 24 months.
Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this during a press briefing on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House, Umuahia, and presided over by Governor Otti. He said the access road to the project site is already nearing completion.
Kanu explained that the project is a public-private partnership between the Abia State Government and MKP International Holdings, operating under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. The state government is contributing land, logistics, and its credibility to the partnership.
“The Abia Medical City is a flagship project that will not only serve Abia and the Southeast but also reposition Nigeria and the West African sub-region as a hub for advanced medical services,” he said.
In addition to the medical city, Kanu announced that Governor Otti would soon flag off 11 rural road projects and three agro-logistics hubs under the World Bank-assisted Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP). These projects will span the three senatorial zones and 17 local government areas. The agro-logistics hubs will be located in Obinto (Arochukwu LGA), Uzuakoli (Bende LGA), and Ndoru (Ikwuano LGA).
Kanu noted that the state government has paid N4.1 billion as counterpart funding for the RAAMP projects, underscoring Governor Otti’s commitment to rural infrastructure development.
On other road infrastructure, the commissioner stated that rehabilitation and maintenance works are ongoing at 48 direct-labour sites across the state. Two of these roads—Agbama–Okwu–Olokoro–Umuahia South Road and Nkwoegwu–Afugiri–Umuyota Road in Umuahia North—have been completed.
He also listed three new roads added to the state’s maintenance programme: the Ozuama spot–Corpers’ Lodge Road, the asphalt overlay of Abiriba Roundabout at Orie Akwa Junction, and Senator Adolphus Wabara’s Road off IBB–Ahiaeke Road in Umuahia.
The Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs. Ngozi Blessing Felix, and other top officials were present at the briefing.
