Wealth creation: A’ Ibom Gov launches enterprise, employment scheme

Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Professor Udom Emmanuel, has charged youths in the state to explore the abundant economic potentials available in it to create wealth for self-reliance.

He gave the charge during the launch of Akwa Ibom Enterprise and Employment Scheme (AKEES) held at Ibom Hall, Uyo.

He said that God had endowed the state with enormous human and natural resources that could be utilised to grow the economy, earn a living, and particularly, congratulated the beneficiaries of the scheme for taking a bold step to acquire innovative skills to boost their enterprises.

He described the scheme as an answer to the yearnings of Nigerians for the emergence of small-and medium-scale industrialisation programme, as it was done in other developing nations.

He stressed that it had come to a time the nation was battling the prevailing economic recession by exploring other means of generating revenue, following the decline in the oil revenue at the international market.

Emmanuel stated that the scheme was to ginger Akwa Ibom youths – and by extension Nigerian youths, to explore other avenues for economic growth through aggressive agricultural enterprise, which had a viable value chain.

He explained that his commitment to undertake the Cocoa Maintenance and Production Scheme, as well as Coconut Oil Refinery, was to boost the state’s economy as the price of cocoa and coconut oil were higher than crude oil in the international market.

“Akwa Ibom used to be the fourth largest producer of cocoa in Nigeria and we are ready to get back there. Our target, which is very measurable, is that, in the next one-and-a-half years, we want to double current production.

“In the next three years, we expect to have between 70,000 and 80,000 acres of cocoa plantation in Akwa Ibom. I am sure, with that we will rank among the first two in Nigeria”, Emmanuel enthused.