- Lady Chukwudozie joined VP Shettim and other key stakeholders in launching the SEV2050 blueprint to drive inclusive growth and prosperity in Southeast Nigeria
- The chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Southeast zone, spoke on the advantages the Southeast holds for manufacturing, among others
- Speaking on the SEV20250, Vice President Shettima said the 25-year plan will close infrastructure gaps and boost regional economic fortunes
Enugu – The chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Southeast zone, Lady (Dr.) Ada Chukwudozie, on Thursday, February 5, joined Vice President Kashima Shettima, governors of the 5 southeast states, ministers, members of the National Assembly of Igbo extraction and captains of industry, to launch the blueprint for SEV2050 in the region.
Legit.ng gathers that the South East Vision 2050 (SEV2050) is a long-term regional development framework designed to unlock inclusive growth, resilience, and shared prosperity for South East Nigeria.
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Photo credit: Lady Chukwudozie
Source: UGC
An initiative of South East Development Commission (SEDC), Ministry of Regional Development, and the Presidency, the four-day forum brought together stakeholders, decision-makers and implementers to diagnose structural constraints holding the region back; align state, federal, private, and development priorities; translate vision into coordinated action across sectors; and build long-term institutional and investment momentum.
What challenges do manufacturers in Southeast face?
Speaking at the forum, which was held in Enugu, Lady Chukwudozie, who was a member of the Steering Committee, acknowledged that the Southeast is one of the most entrepreneurial regions in Africa and a leading commercial and industrial hub of Nigeria.
She said the forum was timely, as it would enable manufacturers to attain their long-term goals, despite current challenges.
“I speak today on behalf of the organised private sector, particularly manufacturers in the South-East — those who invest, produce, employ, and export often under some of the most challenging operating conditions in the country. Our people build, trade, innovate, and create.
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“Yet we must be honest: our industrial potential remains constrained by infrastructure gaps, high energy costs, weak logistics, limited access to long-term finance, and fragmented regional coordination,” she said.
What advantages does Southeast hold for manufacturing?
Despite these challenges, Lady Chukwudozie expressed optimism that the Southeast already possessed strong advantages – the highest concentration of indigenous manufacturers, dense SME networks, and a strong diaspora capital base ready to invest, if the right structures were in place.
Lady Chukwudozie, who is also the chairman of Keystone Bank Limited, stressed that manufacturing was not about trading, but a long-term, capital-intensive, and productivity-driven process. According to her, the Southeast must industrialise if Nigeria is to industrialise.
“SEV2050 therefore represents a defining opportunity to build a true production economy, anchored on industrial parks, agro-processing corridors, a regional energy backbone, SME clusters, and a skilled workforce. This Vision should be delivered through state-anchored industrial clusters, leveraging Abia’s manufacturing depth, Anambra’s enterprise density, Enugu’s logistics and services hub potential, Ebonyi’s agro-processing strengths, and Imo’s emerging energy assets”, she added.
SEV2050: Shettima speaks on 25-year blueprint
Earlier in his speech, Vice President Shettima assured that the 25-year development blueprint would boost the economic fortunes of the region, Nigeria and Africa, and close the post-war infrastructure gaps, while describing the region as a central pillar of Nigeria’s economic future.
Shettima also announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved the establishment of the South East Investment Company Limited, aimed at mobilising funds from the diaspora, capital markets and development finance institutions to drive regional development.
How Vision 2050 will align with Vision 2060 – Mbah
On his part, the Enugu state governor, Peter Mbah, said Vision 2050 would help the region align with the national development agenda, Vision 2060.
He commended the unity among Southeast leaders and proposed the creation of a regional common market, describing the moment as the awakening of an economic giant.