In a move to bolster economic growth and development, the Abia State government has eagerly welcomed potential partnerships with Poland and Bulgaria.
Governor Alex Otti, expressing Abia’s keen interest in robust collaborations, warmly received the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Joan Tarnawska, and her delegation, followed by the Bulgarian counterpart, Yanko Yardonov, and his accompanying team.
The Polish delegation expressed a keen interest in collaborating with Abia across various sectors, including agriculture, mining, education, and culture. Meanwhile, the Bulgarian officials were attracted to opportunities in agriculture, trade, education, and human capital development within the state.
Governor Otti, visibly elated by the attention Abia is receiving from the European nations, assured both delegations of the state government’s openness to partnerships that would contribute significantly to the state’s economic growth.
“There can’t be a better state to partner with than Abia, and I say that for a lot of reasons,” Otti told the Polish delegation.
He specifically disclosed that, “our dreams are very big” in such sectors as agriculture and education, hinting that Abia was desirous of exporting skilled workers.
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“Our people are very creative, very innovative, very focused. They produce virtually everything; they may not be as sophisticated as those in Europe but they work,” Otti added.
The Polish Ambassador, who disclosed that the visit was her first to the South-east of Nigeria, said there was a lot that can be done together between Nigeria and Poland.
“Nigeria is a country of great opportunities and potentials. We would like to tap into that potential and look for new avenues of cooperation between Poland and Nigeria ,and in particular your state,” she told the Abia governor.
Tarnawska, recalled that the President of Poland visited Nigeria last year during which, “we signed an MoU on cooperation, agriculture and I hope that we can on this basis develop even closer ties with Nigeria and with Abia State.”
Similarly, Governor Otti assured the Bulgarian delegation that Abia State is committed to delivering good governance.
“the government we have in Abia State right now is a very serious government, focused on delivering good governance to our people,” Otti revealed.
The Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria, Yanko Yardonov, emphasized the delegation’s intention to collaborate with Abia in key areas such as agriculture, trade, education, and human capital development.
He praised Abia as a state with abundant opportunities, expressing Bulgaria’s eagerness to build partnerships.
“In more concrete terms, the project we wish to bring to your attention will be offering comprehensive understanding about the need to develop, not only economic ties, but also the people to people exchange,” Yordanov stated.
“Abia State is widely known as a State where all the opportunities exist. This is why my country and private investors desire to collaborate and develop partnership with Your Excellency,” he concluded. #Poland