Ihedioha seeks US foreign direct investment as part of plan to diversify Imo economy

GOVERNOR Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State has just returned from a one week trip to the US as part of an aggressive plan to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) under an economic diversification programme.

On May 29 this year, Governor Ihedioha assumed office as Imo State governor and like many of his colleagues, he inherited empty coffers. In a bid to address the problem and raise internally generated revenue, the governor as sought to woo foreign investors and since assuming office he has travelled to the US twice.

Chibuike Onyeukwu, Governor Ihedioha’s chief press secretary, said that while in the US, the governor held useful deliberations and interfaced with several non-governmental, investment and development bodies. These include the Congressional Black Caucus, the US State Department, the World Bank, the Department for International Development and the United States Agency for International Development.

Mr Onyeukwu said: “He said his discussions with these international agencies will yield desired results for the state soon, which is in line with his campaign promise to look beyond the shores of Imo State in the task of rebuilding the state. He said the need to consciously tackle the enormous challenges confronting the state made it imperative to seek collaboration with partners to support the efforts of his administration’s Rebuild Imo Agenda.”