…Stakeholders Advocates for Regional Development at SEV2050 in Enugu
The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the establishment of the South East Investment Company Limited, designed to mobilize resources from the diaspora, capital markets, and development finance institutions for the region’s development.
The Vice President of the Federation, Kashim Shettima revealed this at the ongoing South East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders’ Forum organized by the South East Development Commission, SEDC, at the International Conference Centre Enugu.
VP Shettima said the South-East Investment Company will work in synergy with the South-East Development Commission to address postwar infrastructure gaps and drive long-term regional competitiveness.
Declaring the forum open, VP Shettima said the South East Vision 2050 is a major break from previous short-term, individualistic approaches and promotes unified regional development to achieve sustainable developmental goals. In his words, Nigeria is strongest when its regions thrive.
“South-East carries a unique historical burden, which makes deliberate regional planning both urgent and necessary.” VP Kashim Shettima.
Supporting regional relevance and cooperation for sustainable development, the Host Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, advises that for the region to realize its potential as a single economic powerhouse in the nation, it is necessary to eschew parallel actors’ achievements and reimagine the region as a single economic bloc.
“I am here to invite you to a bold re-imagining of the South East as a single economic bloc. For too long, we have looked at our five states as individual islands, but the era of the solitary path is over.”
“I propose the birth of the South East Common Market – a bold, borderless unification of our commerce, our talent, and our industrial grit.
“By fusing our five distinct economies into one powerhouse, we are no longer just negotiating for a seat at the table; we are building the table ourselves.
“This is more than a policy shift; it is the awakening of an economic giant, transforming the South East into a single, seamless theatre of enterprise where our shared heritage fuels our collective prosperity,” Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah stated.
“Secondly, we must begin with logistics and connectivity, because economies do not integrate on paper; they integrate through movement.
“The South East needs its first deliberately designed interstate logistics corridors, road, rail, inland hubs, and multi-modal systems that allow goods, people, and services to move seamlessly across state lines.”
“These are not prestige projects. They are productivity infrastructure, and they must be planned and contracted as regional assets, not state trophies.”
“Third, security must be treated as regional infrastructure. Criminal networks do not respect state boundaries, and neither should our response,” Enugu State Governor said.
“We must commit to enhanced cross-regional security coordination, shared intelligence, interoperable communication, and a centralised information and response hub that allows state security architectures and federal agencies to act as one system.
“Fourth, we must align the rules of engagement, investment processes, regulatory expectations, and dispute resolution, so that the South East presents a coherent face to capital, enterprise, and its own citizens.
The Enugu State Governor further campaigned against fragmentation, insisting that the South East must collaborate even as we share a common language and ideology.
“That fragmentation is no longer a historical footnote. It has become a present-day constraint. The world we are operating in now is unforgiving of disconnection and lack of unity. The global economy does not reward isolated effort.
“It rewards regions that can act as systems, regions that can coordinate infrastructure, align skills with industry, move goods efficiently, mobilize capital at scale, and present a clear, credible proposition to investors and their own people,” he explained.
What it has lacked, until now, is a shared system strong enough to hold those strengths together.
“Vision 2050 is our chance to build that system as a framework for action, not for someday, but starting now.”
The Enugu State Governor, in conclusion, appreciated the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the renewed hope agenda and emphasis on structural reform and regional balance.
“The President’s approach provides the policy space and institutional backing for the South East to plan long-term, invest smartly, and integrate effectively into national growth priorities,” Mbah concluded.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), Mark Okoye, in his address, says the South East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders Forum is a strategic initiative aimed at transforming the region into a global industrial and investment hub.
South East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholder Forum is a 3-day event aimed at aligning policy, capital, institutions, and people around a shared development future for the South East of Nigeria; SEV 2050 is held at the International Conference Center, Enugu, Nigeria, from February 3rd -6th 2026, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm daily.
Other South East State Governors in attendance are Alex Otti of Abia State, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, and Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State; Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State was represented.
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