The Imo State government says it is set to begin the construction of a multi-million Naira Industrial Park to enhance industrialisation and economic growth.

As contained in a plan presented at a Trade Investment Forum on Monday, the park would be located in Ohaji Egbema and Oguta oil producing areas of the state in eastern Nigeria, with a target to generate about five billion dollars yearly.

The three-day Imo Trade Investment Forum is organised by the State government and is holding at the Imo State Trade Investment Centre in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

Declaring the Forum open, the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, said that the State government had already earmarked 20,000 hectares of land in Ohaji Egbema for the easy take-off of the modern industrial park that will open Imo state to the world.

He reiterated his commitment to ensuring that within the next four years, his mission and vision remained industrialisation, wealth creation and creation of job opportunities for teaming unemployed youths in the state.

The newly completed Imo Trade Centre, the venue for the Forum, came alive on Monday, with business men and investors both foreign and local all gathered to witness the first ever investment forum.

During his campaign for a second term in office, Governor Okorocha had emphasised his plan to industrialise the state, with a campaign mantra; “jobs, jobs, jobs; industry, industry, industry, industry; factory, factory, factory”.

Since industrialisation and business investment is the main focus of the Forum, the chairman of the Imo State Trade Investment Forum committee, Rex Anunobi and the chairman of the proposed Industrial Park, Innocent Nzuma, reeled out the potentials embedded in Imo State, areas of partnership and the benefits of investing in Imo State.

Mr Nzuma, who is also the CEO of Zuma Energy Group, said the Imo Industrial Park when running is capable of generating about five billion dollars for the state annually, especially with the large deposit of gas in Imo state, the presence of the Ohaji Egbema power plant, the proposed Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport and the proximity of Imo State to other commercial states like Onitsha, Aba and Port Harcourt.

He urged investors and businessmen, both local and foreign, to take advantage of the proposed park and partner with Imo State on the project that would expectedly boost the economic of the state and the nation at large.

Foreign investors at the Forum expressed readiness to do business in the state at the completion of the Park.

Agriculture, oil and gas, construction, procurement and logistics, healthcare and education are the basic areas the Trade Investment Forum is focusing on.