The Abia State Government said it has completed design for a 17-kilometre road within the Enyimba Economic City, which will be constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Group Five of South Africa.

The Senior Special Assistant to Abia state Governor on Job Creation and Youth Development, Mr. Chinenye Nwaogu, disclosed this during the recent launch of Google Digital skills programme, for manufacturers in Aba.

He also revealed that the construction work on the project will start at the last quarter of this year, adding that the Federal Government has paid for its 20 percent share in the project, which is expected to create 60,000 jobs on completion.

While assuring that the initial issues challenging the project have been surmounted, Nwaogu explained that the claim survey has been done smoothly and in record time.

“By the standard of the World Bank, claim survey will take you nothing less than two years, but within six months we completed it. We’ve done all the agreement with the host community to make sure that there wouldn’t be any clash with the host Community,” he said.

A Private Public Partnership (PPP) was entered into between the state government and Crown Realties PLC last year for the development of Enyimba Industrial Zone as an economic hub and free trade zone. This arrangement would enable the private partner through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to design, develop, construct, operate and manage a 7,500 hectares area as a functional mixed use commercial and industrial zone.

The project targets over 625,000 jobs, urban housing of over 300,000 units, and urban population of more than 1.5 million people. It is also projected to provide more than 2,000 industrial/ business units, with estimated annual value output of more than $5 billion.

It is proposed to develop a new Industrial Township in Aba, spanning from Akwa Ibom State boundary of Abia State to Imo State boundary, on a West/ East of Enugu/Port Harcourt highway and covering 9600 hectares to include Industrial Park, Logistics, Entertainment Village, Medical, ICT hubs, among others. The project is also designated as a Special Economic Zone by the Federal Government and will have Free Trade Zone status with the intention of connecting South-East states and four out of the six states in the South-South.

While the vision of the project is to develop a connected global business hub in southeast Nigeria; the mission is to create economic hub central to the nine southeast and South-South states linked with high grade access roads, rails, airport and seaports that will transform the region into a manufacturing and industrial powerhouse, with ancillary drivers of commerce, logistics, entertainment, education, health and lifestyle living.

Some of the infrastructures to be provided in the city include a gas basin because of the abundant gas deposits in the state and a narrow gauge rail line, which will link Abonima wharf and Onne Wharf in Port Harcourt to Aba.

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