Ebonyi front line governorship candidate on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Bernard Ifeanyichukwu Odoh has revealed his plans to tackle poverty challenges in the state head-on if elected governor through the reform of governance system in the State.
Prof.Odoh who spoke during a public outing at the Women Development Centre , Abakaliki yesterday said the solid mineral sector of the state will be properly mapped and organized under his watch as governor with a focus on shifting from raw material export to processed export in order to add value that will attract foreign direct investments and earnings in the state.
In a projection, he said the solid mineral sector alone in Ebonyi when well-organized will create over 10,000 jobs annually.
Talking about ginger deposits, he revealed that Nigeria exported $12mill worth of ginger in 2021 or 523,000 metric tons that represents 14% of the global supply for ginger.
He said his administration will stimulate and attract investment to establish Ebonyi Export Processing Zone (EEPZ) where ginger will be processed into ginger oil, through steam distillation, to 20,920 metric ton of ginger oil valued at $70,000 per ton on the global markets or $1.4bn annually.
“Ginger Oil is used as flavouring agents for beverages, confectionery and perfumes, The CBN RT200 FX Policy on Non-Oil Exports and valued-added exports is set to support such value chain. We will leverage opportunity of CBN policy on-non oil export to support out growers scheme while we set up steam distillation points in our EEPZ. Our manifesto clearly outlines what and how we are going to tackle poverty challenges in the state head-on through the reform of governance system in the State.” he said.
Prof Odoh said that together with his running mate, Dr Nkata Chuku and other members of his formidable team in the Redefine Ebonyi Project, the focus remains the mission to improve the business environment in Ebonyi, reposition agriculture as a catalyst to economic growth , revive the moribund education sector in the state and reawaken the public sector for excellent service delivery while securing the state to encourage business activities and investing in the health infrastructure of the good people of Ebonyi state.