- Shettima launches South-East Vision 2050 blueprint
- Tinubu approves SEDC to drive regional growth
- Mbah calls for South-East Common Market
- Diaspora investment company announced
Efforts to strengthen the South-East economy gained momentum as Vice President Kashim Shettima launched a 25-year regional development blueprint, while Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah called for the creation of a South-East Common Market to unlock shared prosperity.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has unveiled the South-East Vision 2050, a long-term development plan aimed at repositioning the region as a major driver of Nigeria’s economic future.
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Speaking at the South-East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders’ Forum held at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu, Shettima said the region holds strategic importance to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing it as a key pillar of national economic growth.
He noted that the establishment of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) was part of deliberate efforts to stimulate inclusive development across the zone.
Shettima also announced the presidential approval of the South-East Investment Company Limited, a platform designed to attract funding from the diaspora, capital markets, and development finance institutions to support regional projects.
“This forum reflects foresight and responsibility. The future is not something we wait for; it is something we must deliberately design,” Shettima said.
Governors Peter Mbah (Enugu), Alex Otti (Abia), Charles Soludo (Anambra), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), and Hope Uzodimma (Imo), represented by the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Chike Olemgbe, were present at the forum.
Addressing participants, Governor Peter Mbah stressed that the South-East must move beyond operating as five separate states and begin functioning as a unified economic bloc.
He commended President Tinubu for creating the SEDC, saying it showed a clear understanding that regional development thrives on collaboration.
“I propose the birth of a South-East Common Market, a bold, borderless unification of our commerce, talent, and industry,” Mbah declared.
He added that integrating the region’s markets would transform the South-East into a single, seamless hub of enterprise, capable of competing globally.
Mbah described the South-East Vision 2050 as a vital tool for addressing challenges that no single state can resolve alone, urging stakeholders to embrace collective planning and long-term thinking.