Abia State and the State of North Carolina in the United States of America have agreed to collaborate in the areas of Agricultural Development, Healthcare, Technical Education and investments in areas of mutual benefit.
This agreement was reached when the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu paid a courtesy call on Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina as part of his visit to the State.
Governor Ikpeazu informed Governor Cooper that Abia State was desirous of establishing a Sister-State partnership with North Carolina so as to benefit from their immense success in Agricultural production, the largest industry in North Carolina which contributes $78B to the economy of the State annually.
The Abia State Governor intimated his North Carolinian counterpart that Abia State was equally a largely agrarian State and shared his efforts towards boosting agricultural production in the state and plans to set up Agro-Processing Industries in Abia Central Senatorial Zone to compliment large-scale agro-harvests from Abia North and South Senatorial Zones.
Governor Roy Cooper expressed his joy at the visit of the Abia State Governor and expressed his willingness to partner with Abia State in areas of mutual interest and set in motion, modalities for follow-up conversations between officials of both States to actualize the envisaged partnerships.
Governor Ikpeazu, in the course of his visit to North Carolina also visited the Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, Nancy McFarlane where they discussed Sister-City partnership between Aba and Raleigh as well as visits to Wake County Community Technical College where he requested for partnership in strengthening Technical Colleges in Abia State in furtherance of the Education for Employment Technical and Vocational Education programme of his administration.
Other activities of the Governor in the course of his visit to North Carolina were visits to the North Carolina Secretary of State’s Office for Bilateral partnerships between Abia State and North Carolina, Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce where he briefed businessmen in the State on opportunities for investment that exist in Abia State, the North Carolina Ministry of Agriculture where discussions were held on greenhouse vegetable farming in Abia State and modern hatchery technology, Lenovo for ICT partnership in the Abia State Educational Sector and North Carolina State University College of Textiles for exploration of partnerships with the Abia State University and Abia State Polytechnic.
The Governor later attended a Town Hall Meeting with Abians in North Carolina and the Ngwa National Association of USA (NNAUSA) Convention which held in Raleigh, North Carolina.
By Bar Sam Hart
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