The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)–State2State project has provided technical support to the Ebonyi government in developing a 25-year State Development Plan (SDP).
Dr Sam Onyia, the State Team lead of the project in Ebonyi made the disclosure in Abakaliki during a one-day validation workshop on the final draft of the Ebonyi State development plan.
Onyia said that the 25-year plan will encompass the short, medium and long-term development of the state.
“The process commenced seven months ago with critical stakeholders such as traditional rulers, political leaders, civil society organizations, government officials, private sector among others; making veritable inputs.
“The inputs resulted in the final draft to be validated as the development plan covers key sectors of the state.
“The plan contains critical policies and plans which should be implemented to make Ebonyi one of the best states in Nigeria as regards development,”.
The team lead who gave an overview of the project’s initiation, said that the state governor inaugurated a State transformation committee to work closely with State2State in the implementation of the project in April 2021.
“A retreat was organised for the transformation committee in Enugu in June 2021 with one of its recommendations being the formulation of a state development plan.
“The governor thus inaugurated a 12-member steering committee and an 18-member technical committee in July 2022 to achieve the intended purpose,”.
He noted that the committees started work from then and have continued till this validation day.
He thanked the state deputy governor who is the chairman of the committee, for his invaluable support.
The Ebonyi Deputy Governor, Dr. Eric Igwe thanked the USAID team for its efforts towards working with the state to formulate the development plan for the state.
Igwe said that USAID had the interest of the state at heart, always collaborating with it and responding whenever called upon.
“Ebonyi has become an emerging economy in the country and all measures geared towards actualizing its full potential should be supported.
“I however plead for time to study the draft in ensuring that what the government asked to be done was being delivered.
He noted that he had a synopsis of what the draft was all about but had to make assurance double.
“It is better to err on the side of caution than to throw caution to the winds,”.
A presentation was made at the workshop by the Chairman of the Technical Committee, Dr Stephen Odoh who is also the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry.