The Senate Committee on the South-East Development Commission has assessed the Commission’s facilities, ongoing preparations and operational readiness during an oversight visit to Enugu State.
Briefing the committee on the Commission’s activities, its Managing Director, Mark Okoye, disclosed that the agency had continued preparatory work on strategic projects aimed at accelerating economic growth and infrastructure development across the region.
Okoye explained that the initiatives included planned gas pipeline and railway projects, alongside partnerships with key stakeholders across Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, state governments, development partners and the private sector.
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The Managing Director also highlighted engagements to promote coordinated regional development, particularly stakeholder consultations on the South-East Vision 2050, describing the exercise as a major milestone in developing a long-term blueprint for the region.
The consultations brought together government officials, business leaders, academics, development partners and civil society groups to contribute to the region’s development plans.
Okoye further highlighted the implementation of the South-East Venture Capital Programme, through which 25 start-ups from the five South-East states received equity investments following a competitive selection process aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.
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The visit included meetings with Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, and inspections of the Commission’s temporary and newly established headquarters.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South-East Development Commission, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, expressed satisfaction with progress on the Commission’s headquarters in Enugu, commending the management for improvements recorded since the committee’s previous engagements.
Kalu urged the management to sustain the progress ahead of another oversight visit scheduled for December.
The senator also stressed the need for the Commission to extend its projects and interventions beyond its headquarters to communities across the five states, noting that residents needed to see tangible development results at the grassroots.
While acknowledging that the Commission was relatively new, Kalu maintained that its management must sustain the progress made and demonstrate its commitment to the agency’s mandate.
At the temporary headquarters, committee members inspected existing office spaces and operational facilities to assess their adequacy for supporting the Commission’s administrative activities.
At the new headquarters, the lawmakers examined the office premises, furnishings, information and communications technology infrastructure, and the facility’s overall readiness to support the Commission’s operations.
The inspections formed part of the committee’s oversight responsibilities to evaluate the Commission’s facilities, monitor implementation of its mandate and ensure accountability in the use of public resources.
The visit is expected to provide the committee with first-hand information on the Commission’s operational capacity and infrastructure needs as it works towards fulfilling its development objectives across the South-East.
The South-East Development Commission was established to drive reconstruction, economic development and regional transformation, while addressing infrastructure and other developmental challenges across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States.
