The Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu says the state has secured 3.5 billion dollars from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) for the Bakassi Deep Seaport Project.
Govenror Otu disclosed this in Abuja while receiving the Governor of the Year for Economic Revitalisation Award presented to him by Blueprint Newspapers Limited.
Represented by his Special Adviser on Media, Emmanuel Ogbeche, the Governor said; “the funding was part of efforts by his administration to drive economic growth and position Cross River as an investment destination.”
He said; “the state was also pursuing agricultural development, tourism and infrastructure projects to create jobs, strengthen food security and expand its economic base.”
Governor Otu said his administration had formally regained full ownership of the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort from the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), describing the development as “an opportunity to revive the facility’s economic potential.”
He said; “the government planned to reposition Tinapa as a Free Zone and a hub for trade, tourism and creative enterprise, adding that it was already engaging investors and partners to transform the facility into a centre of commerce and job creation.”
On agriculture, the Governor said the state had partnered JR Farms on an initiative to cultivate 30 million coffee seedlings, while more than 3,400 hectares of cocoa farmland had been allocated to smallholder farmers under the Cross River State Smallholder Cocoa Allocation Scheme.
He also said the state had introduced a six-year, 30-billion-naira digitally enabled commercial agriculture credit guarantee scheme under its Project Grow initiative to improve farmers’ access to financing.
Govenror Otu said; “the state had also provided farmers with fertilisers, seeds, herbicides and pesticides under its Smallholder Farm Input Support Project.”
He further disclosed that the Obudu cargo airport was more than 90 per cent completed, while the state-owned Cally Air had four aircraft in its fleet, with two additional Bombardier aircraft acquired by the government.
The Governor said; “the administration was also committed to developing Cross River’s tourism potential, noting that the Carnival Calabar had returned and continued to grow under his administration.”
He commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as increased allocations to states, saying “the support had contributed to the state’s economic and agricultural development.”
Governor Otu said Cross River remained committed to building a sustainable economy through agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and investment, while assuring that his administration would continue to create opportunities for the people of the state.
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