The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has unveiled a comprehensive long-term development plan aimed at addressing infrastructure deficits across the South-East region by 2050.
The Managing Director of SEDC, Mr. Mark Okoye, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists in Enugu, noting that the plan covers the five South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
Okoye explained that each state currently operates development plans of varying durations, which are being harmonised into a single regional framework. According to him, Abia has a 25-year plan, Anambra 50 years, Enugu 20 years, Ebonyi 10 years, and Imo 15 years.
He said the individual plans are being aggregated into a unified policy document that will form the South-East Vision 2050, adding that the commission is working closely with South-East governors and other stakeholders to close the region’s longstanding infrastructure gap.
“Once aggregated, it becomes the Vision 2050 document. We are not sidelining what the states are already doing because they are critical stakeholders.
“They are closest to the grassroots and have existed for over 50 years, so their development plans will be fully respected,” Okoye said.
The SEDC managing director announced that the commission would host a two-day stakeholders’ forum tagged ‘SEDC’s South-East Vision 2050 (SEV2050)’, scheduled to hold between February 3 and February 5 in Enugu.
He said the forum would have the theme: “Charting A Shared Path To Sustainable Prosperity For The South-East.”
According to Okoye, one of the statutory mandates of SEDC is to collaborate with state and non-state actors to produce a long-term regional development blueprint for the zone.
He said the commission had already commenced structured stakeholder engagement involving South-East governors, members of the SEDC Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, ministries, and other key institutions.
Okoye highlighted that the forum would also provide an avenue to engage the organised private sector on major long-term infrastructure projects such as railway development, gas pipelines, seaports, dredging of the River Niger, and other strategic investments.
He added that technical sessions would be held on critical sectors including agriculture, which would feed directly into the final policy document.
“There will be political and multi-stakeholder alignment involving governors, development partners and financiers to explore funding options for the projects.
“Six weeks after the forum, we will release the first draft of the South-East Vision 2050 plan, open it for online validation and feedback, and then conclude the process,” Okoye said.
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