Akwa Ibom government’s request to Smec International Pty Ltd. for partnership that would produce the Rwandan model of development is receiving listening ears.
SMEC, an Australian company under the canopy of Penniel Exploration and Production Limited is said to have designed the Master plan of Kigali, capital of Rwanda.
Kigali, capital of Rwanda was the butt of the Rwandan Civil War which lasted from 1990 to 1994, from the long-running dispute between the Hutu and Tutsi groups within the Rwandan population, forcing more than 336,000 Tutsi to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.
However, Kigali rising from the internecine war that consumed thousands is a model of development in every sector.
Recall that during a recent media parley, Governor Udom Emmanuel had told the press that he would adopt Rwandan model of development in education and other sectors.
The state Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Okpolupm Etteh, expressed the state government’s readiness to partner multinationals to bring about unparalleled infrastructural development in the state.
Etteh stated this when a delegation from Penniel Exploration and Production Limited, a subsidiary of SMEC, a multi-disciplinary and professional services engineering company that delivers outstanding physical and social infrastructure services to clients, called on him in the office.
While assuring the delegation of the Akwa Ibom State government’s support, the Commissioner urged the company to be in-depth in their intended project blueprint in line with Governor Udom Emmanuel’s Completion Agenda.
“Akwa Ibom is a safe haven for investors and an industrial hub in Nigeria. Your choice of Akwa Ibom for investment and partnership in infrastructural development is a move in the right direction. The state is peaceful and the people are very hospitable,” he added.
Earlier, Mr Jose Fernandes, the Regional Manager and West African Managing Director of SMEC, had said the company is poised to partner the Akwa Ibom State government to bring about infrastructural development through efficient and effective planning.
Fernandes who presented a paper entitled Rural Planning and Development for Akwa Ibom State on Thursday in Uyo, reiterated the company’s plan “to attract viable investors to the state through their Eastern gateway and strong presence in over 30 countries of the world.”
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Engr. Richard Ekpe, appealed to the company to involve agencies that will be ready to fund its project in line with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.
