Abia Will Lead Shift From Trading to Manufacturing, Digital Delivery — Otti
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, says his administration is repositioning the state from conventional trading towards manufacturing and technology-driven commerce, noting that the future of global business lies in digital delivery. Otti stated this on Monday in Umuahia at the Igbo Day Lecture and Dinner organised by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, with the theme, “The Igbo Charter and Development of Ala Igbo.” Reflecting on concerns about the growing presence of Chinese traders competing with Igbo entrepreneurs in retail businesses in Lagos, the governor said Abia was deliberately moving beyond conventional physical markets. He noted that while markets remained important to the state, his administration was supporting manufacturing and promoting digital commerce to enable entrepreneurs to reach global markets. Otti said Abia’s transition would involve moving from physical stores to digital platforms, describing Alibaba as an example of the direction in which global commerce was heading. He stressed that entrepreneurs who failed to embrace digital trading risked being left behind.
The governor also said his administration was investing heavily in digital skills for young people through initiatives such as TechRise, noting that some Abians trained under the programme were already working for global technology companies from Aba. Otti said the state’s development strategy would combine manufacturing with digital commerce, allowing Abia entrepreneurs to compete beyond conventional markets. He further assured the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide of his administration’s support and described the theme of the celebration, “Njikọ Ka,” meaning “Unity is Supreme,” as appropriate, stressing the importance of unity in diversity. The governor said his administration had laid a solid foundation for the state’s development and assured residents that Abia would continue to witness significant transformation.
#UTVAfrica#
