The Akwa Ibom State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The signing ceremony, held at Government House, Uyo, marked a significant step toward fostering youth empowerment, tourism development, and sustainable economic growth in the state.
Governor Umo Eno, while welcoming the UNDP team, commended the organization for its commitment and willingness to work closely with the State to bring the ARISE Agenda to life.
He stated that the MoU represents a shared vision for Akwa Ibom’s development and emphasized the state’s dedication to fulfilling its responsibilities in the partnership.
“God willing, we will do everything in our power to ensure that we work with you to actualize our vision, because ultimately it is our vision that you are helping to actualize,” Governor Eno said.
“It is in our interest to ensure that we work with you as we open up frontiers to help our people on the areas already highlighted to include tourism, blue economy, skills and innovation, entrepreneurship, and trade.”
The Governor announced plans to establish Youth-Friendly Centres across all 31 local government areas of the state. These centres, he said, would be key to driving digital skills development, innovation, and entrepreneurship among young people, especially those in rural communities.
“This becomes quite significant and necessary because that’s where we intend to galvanize them. For me, I believe that all of them don’t have to come to congregate in Uyo,” he explained.
“So, we are building these Youth-Friendly Centres at the headquarters of the Local Government Areas for them to congregate to develop their skills and innovative ideas for their meaningful productivity and living. And, we believe we can work with you on all of these.”
Governor Eno also highlighted the efficiency of his administration’s governance model. He revealed that the state has adopted a results-oriented delivery framework where Commissioners focus on policy implementation, while Delivery Advisors handle specific project execution.
“We have Delivery Advisors whose duties are project specific while Commissioners have adequate time to focus on policies, their interpretations, implementations, and others. This our template is even what is now being sought after by other States since it is actually working seamlessly,” he added.
The Governor assured the UNDP of office accommodation in Uyo to aid their work, enhance project monitoring, and ensure effective collaboration.
“We will continue to look forward to leveraging on your experience, which is critical for us, with a view of delivering our projects and programmes for the betterment of our people,” he assured.
Speaking earlier, the UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Mrs. Elsie Attafuah, praised Akwa Ibom for its outstanding performance in health, education, and aviation. She explained that the UNDP’s partnership is geared towards job creation, innovation, and improving governance frameworks within the state.
She emphasized the team’s goal to align with the Governor’s vision and strengthen development collaboration in key sectors.
“We are here to build on the vision of the Governor and deepen the collaboration between the State and UNDP,” Mrs. Attafuah said.
She outlined five major sectors for potential collaboration: tourism, blue economy, energy, skills acquisition and innovation, as well as governance and finance development.
According to her, the team aims to promote the ARISE Agenda and help create new jobs and economic opportunities for the people.
Mrs. Attafuah stated, “Our aim is to promote the ARISE Agenda and create jobs for the people of the State. With our high-tech expertise, the State has a better chance to be transformed significantly.”
The signing of the MoU marked the official start of this partnership, signaling new possibilities for investment, development, and sustainable economic growth in Akwa Ibom State.
The high point of the event was the formal endorsement of the Memorandum of Understanding by representatives of both the Akwa Ibom State Government and the UNDP team.
