Delta State Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Honourable Chika Ossai, has said the Kwale Industrial Park project proposed by the Okowa administration is intended to succeed where others have failed.
Chika Ossai disclosed this in Asaba while briefing newsmen on the activities of his ministry in the past one year of the second tenure of the present administration.
The Commissioner explained that the state government had taken note of the challenges that hindered the smooth take off of other Industrial Parks in the state, particularly in the Asaba axis, including litigations over land acquisitions, and decided to use the proposed Kwale Industrial Park as a model.
He revealed that there were many litigations pending in court over lands acquired by government for the Asaba Industrial Park project, while the issue of compensation was still being sorted out, making it difficult for the Park to operate in full capacity.
Chika Ossai, however, assured that the case of the Kwale Industrial Park would be different as government was taking its time to avoid issues that could work against the smooth take off of the Park.
He stated that 1000 hectares of land had been acquired for the project, while the necessary documentations were being made, adding that investors, including foreign and local, had started indicating interest in doing business in the Industrial Estate before the emergence of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
The Commissioner promised that activities would resume again at the Park after the COVID – 19 challenge.
While emphasizing that Industrial Park project could not be completed in four years, he said the focus of the Okowa administration was to drive the project to an appreciable stage of take off before the expiration of its mandate in 2023.
On markets, Chika Ossai explained that the Okowa administration decided to intervene in the building of Modern Markets across the state because the Local Government Councils, whose responsibility it was to build markets, lacked the capacity and resources to do so.
The Commissioner said the benefits of Modern Markets to the socio – economic life of locals were far reaching, hence the state government’s decisiin to assist in building the markets, which on completion and commissioning, would be handed over to the Councils to operate.
He said the Igbodo, Owa – Alero and Orerokpe Modern Markets had been commissioned, those in Oghara, Isiokolo, Kwale and Oko – Anala ready for commissioning, while the Ozoro, Obomkpa, Bomadi, Burutu, Okwagbe and Otu – Jeremi projects were ongoing.
Chika Ossai disclosed that the ongoing Ogbeogonogo Main Market Expansion Project in Asaba was a private sector initiative, under the Build, Operate and Transfer arrangement.
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