Vice President Kashim Shettima has described Imo State as a frontline pillar in Nigeria’s economic diversification drive, identifying technology, gas utilisation, agro-industrial processing, and small- and medium-scale enterprises as the engines that will propel the South-East state into rapid growth and make it a magnet for domestic and foreign investment.
Speaking at the Imo State Economic Summit 2025 in Owerri, Shettima said the Bola Tinubu administration is deliberately creating an enabling environment through policy stability, the de-risking of private investments, improved access to finance via the Bank of Industry and the Development Bank of Nigeria, and structured public-private partnerships in housing, transport, and renewable energy.
The high-profile summit, themed “Unlocking Imo’s Economic Potential: Partnership, Investment, and Innovation,” featured global figures including former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; former Mauritian President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim; Finance Minister Wale Edun; Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote; and Afreximbank’s immediate past Executive Vice-President, Benedict Oramah.
Addressing the packed audience on Thursday, Shettima said national prosperity can only be sustained when every state takes ownership of its development. He noted that Imo’s strategic location, vast gas reserves estimated at more than 200 trillion cubic feet, fertile agricultural land, high human capital index, and ongoing infrastructure projects position it perfectly for a major economic leap under President Bola Tinubu’s reforms.
Shettima challenged participants to move from rhetoric to action, stressing that the summit must produce concrete partnerships, funded projects, and measurable job-creating outcomes. “To investors here today, the message is unmistakable: Imo is open for business. Nigeria is open for business,” he declared.
In his welcome address, Governor Hope Uzodinma said Imo now stands for “Investment Meets Opportunity,” highlighting the dredging of the Orashi River, the establishment of new special economic zones, and the state’s abundant resources in gas, crude oil, lead, zinc, and cotton. He also pledged attractive incentives for prospective investors.
Aliko Dangote announced that his conglomerate “will be one of your biggest investors in Imo,” while Benedict Oramah revealed that Afreximbank is already constructing a multi-million-dollar quality compliance and export facility in the state.
Ban Ki-moon described Africa as central to achieving global sustainable development goals and called for the creation of a dedicated technology fund for the continent, while Gurib-Fakim pledged to bring renewable energy investors to Imo.
