Ebonyi signs 99 year Business agreement with Business conglomerateson investment on Ultramodern shopping mall.
Ebonyi state government has signed a 99 year business agreement With multiple business conglomerates on the investment and development of her ultramodern shopping mall and international market built by by the state
The business partners are Silver bird Group of companies, computer village merchants Association, Lagos and everyday group which are to invest in the area of technology and trade.
The signing of the MOU was part of the activities which featured on the occasion of Ebonyi state 2020 investment summit held at the Ecumenical centre, Abakaliki.
In his address, Ebonyi state governor, Chief David Umahi urged investors to partner with the state and gave assurance of his commitment to provide the enabling environment and facilities for businesses to thrive.
Umahi said that his government had embarked on projects that would attract investors, eliminate unemployment, hunger, insecurity, diseases and illiteracy in the past three years.
He enumerated some of the projects as the entrepreneurship scheme sponsored through soft loans, massive rice production, health care delivery, infrastructural development and market construction, among others.
Umahi announced that there is a law in place which protects the investors and their investment stressing that investors has nothing to fear as no government policy can affect any investment made in the state.
He said that the agreement they had earlier o the mall was to start by January 1st, 2021 but will now start by November, 15 and that the whole of November an December will be bonus to mall investors as there will be no rent while the utility would be run free.
"Any state that withholds land from investors Will not develop. It is indigenes that combine with investors to develop a place and Ebonyians have given us opportunity to develop.
" There is a law in place where you don't need to be afraid of your investment. No government policy affects your investment. Come to Ebonyi, you will see peace, security and development"
Earlier, Commissioner for Business Development and state focal person, Nigeria cares programme, Dr Stephen Odo said in a way to enhance grassroot development of MSMEs in the state, the state government has taken steps to implement financial inclusion with the recruitment of 650 rural bank agents.
Dr Odo stated that the governor has approved the injection of N2.5billion as soft loans to startups and existing SMEs in the state to cushion the effect of the pandemic which is coming after the previous disbursement of N2.8billion as startup capital to civil servants to go into business.
He said that Ebonyi state government considers the private sector as a key constituent of development plan adding that the state is ripe waiting for the resources to be tapped in order help diversify the state economy.
"To enhance the grassroot development of MSMEs in the state, steps have been taken by the state to implement financial inclusion with the recruitment of 650 rural bank agents across the 13 LGAs of the state to boost economic activities in the rural areas"