Once known more for its human capital than its industrial base, Imo State is now stepping deliberately into the centre of Nigeria’s economic reconfiguration. At the recently held Imo State Economic Summit 2025 in Owerri, federal policymakers, global leaders and private sector heavyweights converged to signal a shift in the state’s fortunes, positioning the Eastern Heartland as a rising destination for investment, innovation and industrial growth. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports
Imo State is emerging as one of Nigeria’s most strategically positioned frontiers in the country’s economic diversification drive, as federal authorities, global leaders and private sector giants recently converged for the Imo State Economic Summit 2025 in Owerri, to celebrate a renewed vision for growth anchored on technology, gas utilisation, agro-industrial processing and small and medium-scale enterprises.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima; former United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon; former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson; Liberian President, Joseph Boakai; Emir of Bida, Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; HRM, Ooni of Ife; former President of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim; Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote; Deputy Governor of Imo State, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, among other dignitaries, were in attendance.
A Federal Signal of Confidence
In his speech, Vice President Kashim Shettima placed the state firmly within President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s national reform architecture, describing Imo as a critical pillar in Nigeria’s long-term prosperity agenda, just as he added that national growth could only be sustained when states deliberately harness their comparative advantages and take ownership of their development.
“Nations do not rise because one corner of the map ascends while others remain dormant. Nations rise when every part discovers its promise and takes responsibility for its own economic direction,” he said.
VP Shettima identified Imo as primed for rapid expansion in high-growth sectors, including technology, gas utilisation, agro-industrial processing and SMEs, assuring investors that the Federal Government would support the state through access to financing from the Bank of Industry and the Development Bank of Nigeria, alongside structured Public-Private Partnerships in housing, transport and renewable energy.
“All these possibilities converge to remind us that Imo is not just ready for investment. Imo is primed for transformation,” he declared.
The Vice President reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to investor protection, policy consistency and de-risking private capital, stressing that innovation, talent and technology now define global competitiveness more than natural resource extraction alone.
“The Federal Government stands ready to walk with Imo State to unlock opportunities, de-risk promising ventures and ensure that the benefits of development are felt across communities. To investors here today, the message is unmistakable: Imo is open for business. Nigeria is open for business,” he said.
He disclosed that federal programmes were already empowering young innovators, expanding digital skills training, strengthening tech clusters, promoting STEM education and deepening research partnerships with universities.
“The young people of Imo are creative, ambitious and connected to the global knowledge economy. Our duty is to give them the tools, the platforms and the confidence to build the future that awaits them,” VP Shettima said.
Governor Uzodimma’s Strategic Pitch
In his welcome address, Governor Hope Uzodimma described the summit as both historic and symbolic, noting that attendance had exceeded expectations and signalled growing confidence in Imo’s economic direction.
“You are in the right place at the right time,” the Governor told participants, declaring Imo the “Eastern Heartland, the home of the digital economy, and the home of hospitality.”
He credited President Tinubu’s reforms including fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange harmonisation, with resetting Nigeria’s investment climate.
“For the first time in decades, Nigeria is witnessing bold, market-driven policy resets… these intentional reforms have created a fertile environment where the private sector can truly thrive,” he said.
Governor Uzodimma also redefined the state’s name as a deliberate economic proposition. “In my new way of thinking, IMO stands for Investment Meets Opportunities,” he said.
The Governor outlined Imo’s strategic location, population strength and natural endowments, noting that the state covers a landmass larger than Singapore, Mauritius and Trinidad and Tobago, and is centrally located within the South-East, with easy access to Aba, Onitsha and Port Harcourt.
Imo, he said, boasts Nigeria’s third-highest Human Development Index and is endowed with crude oil, natural gas, solid minerals and vast agricultural potential.
“We are blessed with the largest gas reserves estimated at 200 trillion cubic feet,” he said. “So, for those looking for business in gas exploration and utilisation, Imo State is the destination.”
Security, Infrastructure and Power: The New Foundations
Governor Uzodimma traced Imo’s past development challenges to a flawed state-driven industrial model and weak infrastructure but said his administration had shifted focus to creating an enabling environment for private investment.
“I can proudly tell you today that Imo is safe again to the glory of God,” he said, noting that improved security now guarantees predictability for capital deployment.
He disclosed that over 120 strategic roads and bridges had been constructed to link Imo’s 27 local government areas and neighbouring states, while the state was tackling Nigeria’s biggest industrial bottleneck — power.
“By the end of this month, we will launch Phase 1 of the Light Up Imo Project… Yes, we will guarantee 24/7 electricity supply for the state,” he said.
Land Reform, Energy, Technology and Agro-Industrial Scale
A major highlight of the summit was Imo’s digital land reform. The Governor announced the launch of the Imo Land Information Centre (ILIC), a fully digitised, blockchain-powered land administration system.
“It means someone can obtain a Certificate of Occupancy within 24 hours,” he said. “We have removed uncertainty and all forms of racketeering from the equation.”
Furthermore, Governor Uzodimma described Imo’s gas reserves as the largest proven in West Africa, supported by the Orashi Energy Free Trade Zone, offering tax holidays and value-addition opportunities.
“We are talking about value addition through digital-led manufacturing, technology-enabled services, and logistics,” he said.
He also highlighted Adapalm as a major agro-industrial platform and pointed to opportunities in cement, ceramics and downstream manufacturing from Imo’s solid mineral deposits.
Global Voices and Private Sector Commitments
International validation came from former Mauritian President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, who said Africa’s future depended on Nigeria’s rise and pledged to attract renewable energy investors to Imo.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon described the summit as “a gathering of great significance,” stressing that Africa holds the key to solving global challenges. Without addressing the challenges Africa is facing, we would not say we have a sustainable world,” he said.
In his speech, the former Prime Minister of Britain, Boris Johnson, commended Uzodimma for his efforts to drive economic transformation in Imo State, particularly through the move to provide 24-hour electricity, adding that reliable power supply is critical for development just as artificial Intelligence would shape the future of global economies.
Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Industries Limited, praised the Tinubu administration’s business-friendly policies and assured the Governor that Dangote Industries “will be one of your biggest investors in Imo.”
The Managing Director and CEO of Orashi Special Energy Free Zone (OSEFTZ), Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, stressed that manufacturing is returning to regions with talent and resilience, adding that investors everywhere are searching for an environment where purpose and opportunity align.
Also speaking, founder and chairman of Zinox Group, Dr. Leonard Stanley Ekeh, promised to invest N5 billion in educational institutions in the state next year, just as he extolled the governor for investments in what he called the Knowledge City but added that more drive is needed in technology investment and development of the state.
From Dialogue to Delivery
As the summit closed, VP Shettima issued a challenge to all stakeholders. “Let this Summit not end with good ideas alone. Let it lead to signed partnerships, funded projects and measurable outcomes that uplift lives and create jobs,” he urged.
For Imo State, the summit marked more than an event — it was a declaration that the Eastern Heartland is ready to convert opportunity into enterprise, reform into returns, and vision into reality.
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