Regarding The 2025 Imo State Economic Summit

I read a piece on the Facebook page of my friend and brother Fred Chukwuelobe, (Ichie Obiekunie na Adazi), criticizing the 2025 Imo State Economic Summit which he described as ‘wild goose chase and a jamboree’.

My submission is simple: if you don’t say “here I am,” no one will say “there you are.” I attended the summit as a guest of the state government. I listened closely to all the speeches and commitments from invited speakers. I must give it to Governor Hope Uzodinma. I even streamed the Governor’s speech live on my Facebook page. Perhaps you may wish to listen to it.

During his remarks, he announced that Imo State has the largest untapped gas reserves in West Africa. He also highlighted ongoing efforts to make Imo more investor-friendly, including digitalizing land administration, “The state government has digitized land administration, making it possible for Certificates of Occupancy to be issued within 24 hours.”, Governor Uzodinma announced.

The Governor emphasized the investment potential of the Orashi River Dredging Project, and the Orashi Power Project that will come on stream in the coming months, among other initiatives. In the room were bank MDs, captains of industry, major investors, and of course, the ‘usual suspects’ — politicians. The Governor clearly has a method to his “madness.”

Alhaji Aliko Dangote mounted the podium and made commitments, even giving the Governor what he described as a blank cheque – to name a business venture he should locate in Imo state. I toured the exhibition stands, where several local and foreign companies were present. The Governor also commissioned a Southeast regional branch of Access Bank.

The presence of Boris Johnson, Ban Ki-Moon, the President of Liberia, Professor Benedict Oramah, and other high-profile personalities served a powerful PR purpose — increasing the talkability, visibility, and global perception of Imo State. The real business conversations, as expected, were happening behind the scenes.

Media and PR professionals understand how these things work. The global personalities at the summit have dominated the headlines since yesterday, and that has helped to market Imo State to the world. In destination marketing terms, the 2025 Imo State Economic Summit, which ends today, can be considered a success.

States must consciously and actively market and reposition themselves. I am impressed by what Imo State is doing and by the Governor’s efforts. Yes, there are still underlying security concerns, but this has now unfortunately become a national problem. Imo State is dealing with the monster like everyone else. I spoke with some Ndi Imo, and they are hopeful and optimistic. They acknowledged ongoing efforts at building roads and other infrastructure in the state.

The summit, themed “Unlocking Imo’s Economic Potential: Partnership, Investment and Innovation,” continues through Friday, 5 December 2025, at Concorde Boulevard, opposite Concorde Hotel, Owerri.

It attracted distinguished global figures including; President of Liberia, Joseph Boakai; Former President of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim; Former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon; Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group; Professor Benedict Oramah, former President of Afreximbank; Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman, Zinox Technologies; Isha Sesay, former CNN anchor; Ernest Nwapa, and several other industry leaders. Traditional rulers and political figures including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and Eze Dr. Cletus Ilomuanya, Obi of Obinugwu, were also in attendance.

Let’s give Imo State chance. Ya gazie.

By Uche Nworah, Ph.D