Abia State has sought the assistance of the Peoples Republic of China to build the capacity of entrepreneurs and other citizens engaged in production of garments and leather works in the state.

The government said it planned to support its citizens involved in the production of security uniforms, boots, caps and other gears for use by the armed forces and the para-military agencies in Nigeria and other African countries.

Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who said this when he visited the Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Gu Xiaoje, on Wednesday in Abuja, stated that about 100,000 Abia citizens were involved in production of leather shoes, belts, suits and jackets, noting that the small scale manufacturers would be empowered to ensure product consistency and quality.

He said the entrepreneurs need capacity building to ensure consistency and product quality hence his visit to the Chinese envoy to solicit his support.

The governor hinted that his administration is emphasising on technical education for the youths to enable them to be self-reliant.

Ikpeazu encouraged Chinese investors to invest in various sectors of the state economy including the leather and garment industry and agriculture, noting that his state is the highest cocoa producer in the country.

The governor said Abia was the ‘confluence’ of the states in the South-East and South-South regions, stressing that it was also the hub of small scale and medium enterprises in Nigeria.

He said, “Apart from being the hub of small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria, Abia has a huge market and we make the best dresses, jackets and suits as well as leather shoes and belts. The only thing we want from the Chinese government is capacity building.

“Our aim is to supply military uniforms and gears to all the armed forces and para-military agencies in Nigeria and beyond, but we need capacity to ensure consistency and quality of products; the state government would set up quality control.”

Xiaoje, in his response, promised to encourage Chinese businessmen and investors to support projects and programmes that would benefit them and their host communities.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/abia-plans-production-of-military-uniforms-gears/

nice one

They wouldn't believe you unless it comes from a 'non Igbo' source!

Cocoa Growing

Nigeria’s biggest agricultural export is full of beans

Nigeria is the fourth-largest producer of cocoa beans in the world, behind Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia. After petroleum, cocoa is the country’s most important export – before independence, cocoa generated 90% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings. Eclipsed these days by oil as the country’s major export, Nigeria still produces 300’000-350’000 tonnes of cocoa a year, most destined for consumption abroad – the country exports about 96% of its cocoa crop. Cocoa exports for October-March 2009/10 were up 31% on the previous year, helped by good weather conditions and improved quality in stock in the growing regions.

Fourteen of Nigeria’s 36 states grow cocoa: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Taraba.

Stakeholders and Programmes for Growth
Despite cocoa’s importance in the years before independence, the sector was allowed to decline after the oil boom of the 1970s and suffered for decades from under-investment. The cocoa industry was liberalised in 1986, when the government abolished the Nigerian Cocoa Board, a government bureau that controlled the marketing of cocoa, and deregulated the industry. The decline continued, however, so to rehabilitate the industry, in 1999 the government set up the National Cocoa Development Committee (NCDC). The NCDC promotes cocoa production and trade in cooperation with the various growers’ agencies operating in the industry, like the Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) and the Cocoa Growers Association of Nigeria (COGAN).

The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) is another major stakeholder in the sector: established in 1964 as a government parastatal, the Institute conducts research on cocoa, distributes seedlings to farmers and trains growers in modern agricultural practices as well as in business development skills

Really nice.. I see a state with concerns on solving unemployment of its citizens

God bless Nigeria

k

IGBOSON1:
They wouldn't believe you unless it comes from a 'non Igbo' source!

the lies from Southwest have been bursted again

cocoa constitutes 70% of non oil export in Nigeria, Ondo state is the highest producer cocoa in Nigeria, not only that,she produces over 50% of cocoa.You can go to Cocoa Research Institute,Idi Ayunre,Ibadan for confirmation.
God bless Nigeria.

Mumu people changing topic for same thread since 1800

koxyz:
cocoa constitutes 70% of non oil export in Nigeria, Ondo state is the highest producer cocoa in Nigeria, not only that,she produces over 50% of cocoa.You can go to Cocoa Research Institute,Idi Ayunre,Ibadan for confirmation.
God bless Nigeria.

Are you more knowledgeable in statistical record than a sitting Governor? Even Ondo state Government has not refuted his claim lest some nonentity reeling out statistic from his asz.

Dude, this is 2015 not 1950s. The baton has already been passed to a winning team. You can either sit under the tree and tell stories of the good ol' days or get your azz out of your soft chair and head straight to the farm.

V nice one! Dis ikpeazu of a guy is beginnin 2 restore a lot of lost glory bak 2 abia. Thank God d locust years r over. Its a new beginnin for abians and nigerians in general.

Funny people always bringing out statistics from their anus

Nigeria should diverstify its economy, because Oil is crashing day by day.. If not...

first is obiano, now ikpeazu has joined. by the time enugu, ebonyi, delta, akwaibom, cross river, bayelsa , imo joins fully rivers is there already, biafra will be great.

huangcheng:


Are you more knowledgeable in statistical record than a sitting Governor? Even Ondo state Government has not refuted his claim lest some nonentity reeling out statistic from his asz.

Dude, this is 2015 not 1950s. The baton has already been passed to a winning team. You can either sit under the tree and tell stories of the good ol' days or get your azz out of your soft chair and head straight to the farm.

Its Ondo state.

Abia for where? If its shoes, I give you that but not cocoa. I am from Ondo and my grandfather even owned a massive cocoa farm.

Abia, the highest producer of cocoa

These people and their penchant for chest beating over nothing, propagation of lies as facts.

The day Abia state becomes the highest producer of cocoa, then Sokoto would have joined NDDC.

menabadoo:
the lies from Southwest have been bursted again

Must you bring ethnicity and tribal references to this?

You are indeed sick in the head.

You are one of those frustrated people who must get your daily top up on inciting ehtinic bigotry.

Its also the highest producer of oil in the world.

Abia ko, armpit ni. these red mud gypsies never fail to amuse me. my favorite objects of derision

So who are the great cocoa merchants in Abia, the calibre they have in Ondo?
Biafrans can kill with lies
The Yeye pig they call governor in Abia want to hoodwink the Chinese.

Fellow Nigerians......we really need to get rid of these liars....chei......but ibo can lie o....what kind of animals do we have in our midst that can lie so blatantly,.........n even worse......swear by that same lie

Abia state and clueless PDP leaders

PentiumPro:
So who are the great cocoa merchants in Abia, the calibre they have in Ondo?
Biafrans can kill with lies
The Yeye pig they call governor in Abia want to hoodwink the Chinese.

others are going to the farm and you are sitting down in the mod house typing nonsense with China phone. This is not 1930 change is constant, i get am before no be property.

Read the write up, no mention of cocoa, OP lies.

huangcheng:


Are you more knowledgeable in statistical record than a sitting Governor? Even Ondo state Government has not refuted his claim lest some nonentity reeling out statistic from his asz.

Dude, this is 2015 not 1950s. The baton has already been passed to a winning team. You can either sit under the tree and tell stories of the good ol' days or get your azz out of your soft chair and head straight to the farm.

I don't seem to understand how you couldn't see through the fact that your 419 governor was just trying to hoodwink the chinese. So we should believe the words of Governor more than realities on ground and the statistics of
IITA? The fact that you guys didn't know your state produces more cocoa until your governor said it clearly s
hows how much of a lie it is.

You expect Ondo state to refute a news that is barely a week old? No one is refuting anything cos it is clearly a big lie.

I wonder how you guys manage to tell a lie and still believe in your lie. Is that what puts food in your table? You guys are delusional.

Igbo want to take glory where there is none. I served in Abia for a year, moving from Nsiala ngwa to Aba to Umuahia to Ohafia. I didn't sight single cocoa tree not to talk of being the highest producer. Go to south west and what is meant to be a producer of cocoa. Deluded indeed

All I see is someone trying desperately to convince a Chinese ma to invest in his state.....which is great ....great for him, his state and his country


But Abia as the highest Cocoa producer in Nigeria.....Or is Ondo no more part of Nigeria?

Whether Abia is the highest producer or not I like the way some govs in the SE are looking inward and also beginning to show signs that they are gearing to be self sufficient and stop simply collecting government money.

The new attitude beginning to show in some govs and states is really encouraging.

Zico5:
Igbo want to take glory where there is none. I served in Abia for a year, moving from Nsiala ngwa to Aba to Umuahia to Ohafia. I didn't sight single cocoa tree not to talk of being the highest producer. Go to south west and what is meant to be a producer of cocoa. Deluded indeed

moving from ofosu to ore to okitipupa in ondo state, you won't see a single cocoa tree.

Good job by abia state governor. Congratulations

We can get these and I'm bringing tomato factory soon to Abia.

God bless the God's own State.