Senate panel visits SEDC to assess facilities, operational readiness

The Senate Committee on the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) has conducted an oversight visit to the commission in Enugu State to assess its facilities, ongoing preparations and operational readiness.

Briefing the delegation on the commission’s activities, the SEDC Managing Director, Mr Mark Okoye, disclosed that the commission has continued to advance preparatory work on strategic projects aimed at accelerating economic growth and infrastructure development in the region.

The initiatives, according to Okoye, include planned gas pipeline and railway projects, as well as partnerships with key stakeholders across Federal MDAs, state governments, development partners and the private sector.

He also informed lawmakers of its engagements to promote coordinated regional development, as well as the South-East Vision 2050 stakeholder consultations as a major milestone, noting that the initiative brought together government officials, business leaders, academics, development partners and civil society groups to formulate a long-term development blueprint for the region.

Mr Okoye also highlighted the implementation of the South-East Venture Capital Programme, under which 25 startups from the five South-East states received equity investments through a competitive selection process aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.

The visit featured a courtesy call on the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, and inspections of the commission’s temporary headquarters and its newly established headquarters.

At the SEDC temporary headquarters, the committee inspected the existing office spaces and operational facilities to assess their adequacy in supporting the commission’s administrative activities.

At the new headquarters, the lawmakers examined the office premises, furnishing, information and communications technology infrastructure, as well as the overall readiness of the facility to support the commission’s operations.

The inspections formed part of the committee’s oversight responsibilities to evaluate the commission’s facilities, monitor the implementation of its mandate and ensure accountability in the use of public resources.

The visit is expected to provide the committee with first-hand information on the commission’s current operational capacity and infrastructure needs as it works towards fulfilling its development objectives across the South-East region.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South-East Development Commission, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, expressed satisfaction with the progress made on the commission’s headquarters in Enugu, commending the management for improvements recorded since the committee’s previous engagements.

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He urged the management to sustain the progress recorded ahead of another oversight visit scheduled for December.

Senator Kalu urged the commission to ensure that its projects and interventions extended beyond its headquarters to communities across the five states, stressing that residents needed to see tangible results at the grassroots.

Although he acknowledged that the commission was relatively new, he said its management must sustain the progress recorded and demonstrate its commitment to its mandate.

The South-East Development Commission was established to promote development and address infrastructure and other developmental challenges across the region.

The commission was established to drive reconstruction, economic development and regional transformation across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.