The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has urged traders and investors to stop relying solely on imports and begin building industries that produce goods locally, saying Nigeria must retain more wealth by strengthening domestic manufacturing.
He made the call at a stakeholders’ sensitisation seminar organised by the Importers Association of Nigeria (IMAN) in partnership with the Anambra State Ministry of Commerce in Awka, the state capital.
Represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Nonso Ebonwu, the governor said Anambra must move from a consumption-driven economy to a manufacturing-based one.
He urged stakeholders to use strategic partnerships to establish industries, develop local supply chains and create opportunities for the state’s young population, rather than limiting young people to importing goods.
Governor Soludo also assured investors that his administration would continue to provide a secure and business-friendly environment for investment.
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The seminar, themed “Securing Trade Corridors and Unlocking Blue Economy Opportunities,” brought together government officials, traders, security agencies, regulators and industry representatives to discuss trade security, infrastructure and economic opportunities.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Investment, Christian Udechukwu, said the administration remained committed to industrialisation and its “Made in Anambra” initiative.
He cited the federal government’s approval of an economic free trade zone within the state’s ongoing aerotropolis project as an opportunity to attract investment and support industrial development.
Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs Dera Nnadi, who chaired the event, said trade could thrive only where security, effective regulation and infrastructure worked together.
Nnadi called for the revitalisation of commercial centres such as Onitsha to strengthen their role in regional trade.
IMAN National Patron and host of the event, Chief Azubuike Ekweozor, urged stakeholders to channel traditional enterprise models such as the Igba-Boi apprenticeship system towards productive local investment and wealth creation.
Dr Obiora Madu, who presented the lead paper, examined ways to build secure and competitive supply chains and unlock blue-economy opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Representatives of the police, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Ports Authority, National Inland Waterways Authority, Standards Organisation of Nigeria and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, among others, pledged closer cooperation to strengthen trade-corridor security and facilitate legitimate commerce.
The stakeholders said sustained coordination among government agencies, regulators and the trading community would be required to translate the seminar’s recommendations into practical policies.
