The South-South Governors’ Forum is pushing for a more coordinated regional economy, with infrastructure, investment and stronger engagement with the Federal Government at the centre of its agenda.
At the meeting of the Forum in Calabar, the governors resolved to take key regional concerns directly to President Bola Tinubu.
At the Government House in Calabar, the Forum agreed to push jointly for better infrastructure and stronger economic integration across the six states.
Regional rail development, the modernisation of the Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri seaports, and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway featured among the priorities discussed.
At the close of the meeting, the Chairman of the Forum and Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, read the resolutions reached by the governors.
MUST READ: Zamfara Governor Swears In New Head Of Service, Shehu Baraya
The Forum is also looking beyond infrastructure.
It endorsed a common framework for state investment promotion agencies under the BRACED Commission, while PANDEF called for a regional investment fund and greater youth participation in the region’s economic development.
For the host governor and Vice Chairman of the Forum, Bassey Otu, greater cooperation is critical if the region is to maximise its resources and create more opportunities for its people.
Governors from Bayelsa, Cross River and Akwa Ibom attended the meeting, while Rivers, Edo and Delta were represented by their deputy governors.
The forum also resolved to meet with President Tinubu on infrastructure and environmental concerns and to hold its meetings quarterly.
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, will host the next meeting from November 6th to 8th.
The question now is whether this renewed regional cooperation can move beyond resolutions and produce tangible results.
(Follow AIT News on WhatsApp, AfricaIndependentTV on YouTube, ait_online on Facebook and X (Formerly Twitter), and officialait on TikTok, Instagram and Threads)
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
