The Commissioner for Environment in Abia State, Mr. Philemon Asonye Ogbonna, has stated that the Abia State government is committed to repositioning the environment sector as a platform for private investment.
Ogbonna made this known on Thursday at the International Conference Centre, Ogurube, Umuahia during the Abia State Government Meets Business organised by the Abia State Public Private Partnerships and Investments Promotion (PPP & IP) office.
According to the Commissioner, the State Government through the Ministry of Environment is implementing several environmental and sustainability projects aimed at attracting investors. These include waste management and control, renewable and clean energy initiatives, erosion mitigation and building of flood control infrastructure, and forestry and carbon market projects.
Ogbonna explained that they have turned environmental challenges into bankable projects in order to attract investors into the state. He said that the administration of Dr. Alex Otti has transformed Abia from one of Nigeria’s dirtiest states into a cleaner, more sustainable environment through prompt evacuation of long-neglected refuse heaps in Aba and Umuahia.
He added that strict enforcement of monthly sanitation exercise and modern waste management strategies have improved the level of environmental wellness in the state.
Ogbonna highlighted that the state government has restored house-to-house sanitary inspection services across the 17 local government areas of Abia State, and intensified efforts to prevent man-made flooding caused by illegal dumping of refuse in drainages. He disclosed that the government has made giant strides in the area of waste to wealth and clean cooking initiatives through recycling plants owned by private companies in the State, and launching of the clean cooking stoves.
To achieve its environmental transformation goals of the State government, Ogbonna revealed that they were engaging the private sector through Public Private Partnerships, Concessions, Joint Venture, and Build Operate and Transfer models.
