SEDC to Flag Off First Agro-Mechanisation Project in Enugu

 Our Reporter 

The South East Development Commission (SEDC) is set to flag off the first of its 15 agro-mechanisation projects across the five states of the South-East region.

The project, located in Nomeh Unateze community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, is scheduled for flag-off next week, according to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Mark Okoye.

Okoye disclosed this on Tuesday during a site assessment and community engagement visit to the proposed project location.

He said the initiative was part of the commission’s broader South East Agro-Mechanisation Programme, designed to tackle food insecurity and unemployment while stimulating investment and economic development across the region.

According to him, the commission, established in 2024, spent its first year conducting extensive studies and developing a blueprint for the comprehensive development of the South-East.

“Essentially, we are here for a pre-assessment, pre-flag-off visit to see the area, understand the level of work that needs to be done and ensure that the contractors can start mobilising very quickly so that once we hit the site, we start running,” Okoye said.

He explained that the programme would involve the development of up to 50,000 hectares of farmland across the South-East for mechanised agriculture.

He said the commission would commence with pilot projects involving between 200 and 300 hectares in each of the region’s 15 senatorial zones.

The farms, he added, would produce staple crops such as cassava and maize, as well as selected cash crops, while some locations would also have centres for learning and productivity.

“So, a big part of what we are looking at is how to address food insecurity and unemployment, ensuring that we are producing what we put on the table,” he said.

Okoye said the commission expected the project to attract additional private-sector investments, estimating that between N4bn and N5bn in added investment could come into the area once the project commenced.

He said the governor had agreed to the flag-off of the Enugu project, adding that the site visit was aimed at ensuring that the necessary preparations were completed before mobilisation.

The SEDC boss also commended President Bola Tinubu for establishing the commission, describing it as a response to the long-standing demand for an institution dedicated to mobilising resources and coordinating development in the South-East.

He urged residents of the region to support the President’s development efforts beyond 2027.

Okoye further disclosed that the commission would soon establish an investment agency to mobilise investments from within Nigeria and the diaspora for accelerated development of the South-East.

Speaking on the significance of the project to the community, the Media Aide to the Enugu State Governor and community leader, Uche Anichukwu, described the initiative as one of the benefits accruing to Nomeh Unateze and the state.

Anichukwu linked the project to improved infrastructure in the area, particularly the Nenwe-Nomeh-Mburubu-Nara road, with a spur to Oduma, which he said had provided multiple routes for transporting agricultural produce to markets.

He said the road infrastructure would create ready access to markets for the proposed agricultural development.

The Chairman of the Nomeh Unateze Town Union Caretaker Committee, Dr Chukwudi Anyianuka, expressed the community’s support for the project and commended the Federal Government and the Enugu State Government for locating it in the area.

“We are very, very happy. We cannot wait to see it actualised and we promise that we are going to provide everything that is necessary to make sure that this is established,” Anyianuka said.

He also commended the SEDC for adopting what he described as a methodical approach to regional development.

“The Commission has taken a methodical approach to regional development. Rather than the pitfall of throwing money at development challenges, it undertook a study of the region and came up with a masterplan, which includes this initiative, to reinvent the South-East post-civil war,” he said.

Traditional rulers, members of the Nomeh Unateze traditional council, community heads and other stakeholders attended the interactive session.