…inspects Enugu headquarters, reviews regional development plans and support for 25 start-ups 
By Gloria Ikibah
Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South-East Development Commission (SEDC), Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has urged the management of the commission to extend its development projects and interventions to communities across the region, insisting that residents must see tangible results at the grassroots.
Senator Kalu gave the charge during an oversight visit by the committee to the commission in Enugu State to assess its facilities, ongoing preparations and operational readiness.
While acknowledging that the commission was relatively new, he urged its management to sustain the progress recorded and demonstrate its commitment to the mandate of driving development across the South-East.
He expressed satisfaction with the progress made on the commission’s headquarters in Enugu, commending the management for improvements since the committee’s previous engagements.
Kalu also urged the commission to maintain the pace of work ahead of another oversight visit scheduled for December.
The committee’s visit included inspections of the SEDC’s temporary headquarters and its newly established headquarters, where members assessed office spaces, furnishings, information and communications technology infrastructure and the general readiness of the facilities to support the commission’s operations.
The lawmakers also paid a visit to Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, as part of their engagements during the oversight exercise.
Briefing the committee, the Managing Director of SEDC, Mark Okoye, said the commission had continued preparatory work on strategic projects designed to accelerate economic growth and infrastructure development across the region.
He identified planned gas pipeline and railway projects among the initiatives under consideration, alongside partnerships with federal ministries, departments and agencies, state governments, development partners and private sector stakeholders.
Okoye said the commission was also pursuing coordinated regional development through stakeholder engagements, including consultations on the South-East Vision 2050, a long-term development blueprint for the region.
According to him, the consultations brought together government officials, business leaders, academics, development partners and civil society groups to contribute to the region’s development priorities.
The managing director further highlighted the implementation of the South-East Venture Capital Programme, under which 25 start-ups drawn from the five South-East states received equity investments through a competitive selection process.
He said the initiative was aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and innovation across the region.
The oversight visit was part of the Senate committee’s responsibility to monitor the commission’s activities, assess its operational capacity and ensure accountability in the use of public resources.
The committee is expected to use information gathered during the exercise to evaluate the commission’s infrastructure needs and progress towards fulfilling its development objectives.
Established to drive reconstruction, economic development and regional transformation, the SEDC is mandated to address infrastructure deficits and other developmental challenges across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
The commission’s performance is expected to be measured not only by its institutional readiness but also by the impact of its projects on communities, businesses and residents across the five states.
