Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has called on Igbo traders to go beyond traditional trading to embrace manufacturing and internet commerce to remain competitive in the emerging global economy.
Otti, who spoke on Monday in Umuahia, at the Igbo Day Lecture and Dinner hosted by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, on the theme, “The Igbo Charter and Development of Ala Igbo,” said: “
The PUNCH writes that the governor remarked, “Abia and Ndigbo as a trading people, have deliberately been shifting their focus toward manufacturing and technology-driven commerce.
Responding to the concerns raised by the increasing number of Chinese traders competing with Igbo entrepreneurs in retail enterprises in Lagos, Otti remarked that the answer was to go beyond that level of dealing.
“We’re not doing that level of trading,” he replied. We have markets in Abia. Markets matter. But we’re moving out of that level of marketing into manufacturing.
“So this government is supporting manufacturing and pushing digital delivery. We are moving out of physical store and into digital distribution. So when someone said, ‘Alibaba,’ that’s exactly where we’re going.”
Otti claimed that internet commerce would empower Abia entrepreneurs to compete globally rather than be dependent on conventional physical markets.
“Why are the Chinese coming to compete with us?” he said. We are going away from there. And it’s going to start in Abia.
“Abia does manufacturing and trading so, But we are shifting from traditional trade to digital trading. That is the way the world is going. “You either jump in, or you’ll be left behind.”
The governor said his administration is investing massively in digital skills for youngsters, adding that several Abians trained under its TechRise project are already working for global technology businesses from Aba.
Otti, who promised the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo of his administration’s support, said the subject of the festival, “Njikọ Ka” – which means “Unity is Supreme” – was suitable, saying it showed the value of unity in diversity.
He said his administration has established a strong platform for the development of the state guaranteeing that Abia will continue to witness a lot of progress.
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