Nearly a year after its inauguration, the South East Development Commission, SEDC, has unveiled plans to roll out a far-reaching development framework aimed at reshaping the economic and social future of Nigeria’s South East region.
The Commission announced that it will formally present the blueprint at the South East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders Forum currently underway in Enugu.
The long-term plan is designed to confront persistent infrastructure gaps, ecological degradation, and uneven economic growth that have shaped the region’s post-civil war history.
At a press briefing in Enugu, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SEDC, Dr. Mark Okoye, said the initiative represents a shift from fragmented interventions to coordinated regional planning.
According to him, the Commission has focused its first eleven months on building internal capacity and a strategic foundation rather than rushing into projects.
“By law, the Commission was created to address infrastructure challenges in the South-East dating back to the Civil War era, as well as ecological issues,” Okoye said.
“We were also mandated to develop a long-term regional master plan in partnership with state and non-state actors.”
The SEDC was inaugurated on February 10, 2025, as a Federal Government agency tasked with accelerating development across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
Vision 2050 and a $10bn Infrastructure Gap
The Vision 2050 forum is themed “Charting a Shared Path to Sustainable Prosperity for the South-East.”
Okoye said the blueprint emerged from months of consultations with South East governors and engagements involving more than 250 Federal Government agencies.
He disclosed that the Commission is yet to receive direct funding for project execution but has chosen to prioritise planning and partnerships.
“We are determined not to rely solely on government funding,” he said.
Okoye thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing the Commission decades after the civil war, describing the move as a symbolic and practical step toward correcting long-standing regional imbalances.
During his opening address at the forum, Okoye said the South East faces an estimated $10 billion infrastructure deficit.
He blamed the situation on years of “disjointed development initiatives” and unhealthy competition among states for limited capital.
“The five states must stop competing for small funds and start collaborating on large-scale, bankable projects,” he said.
He proposed joint development of 600-megawatt power plants to support industrialisation across the region’s 29,000-square-kilometre landmass.
Okoye also highlighted the underutilisation of diaspora remittances.
“Nigeria receives about $22 billion annually in remittances, with roughly $4 billion flowing into the South East,” he said.
“These funds remain fragmented instead of being pooled into legacy infrastructure like gas pipelines and rail networks.”
Ohanaeze Frames SEDC as Tool for Reconciliation
The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, described the SEDC as more than a development institution.
Speaking at the forum, he said the Commission should serve as a vehicle for healing historical wounds in the region.
“It would be dishonest not to acknowledge that over the years, feelings of exclusion, neglect, and unresolved grievances have taken root,” Azuta-Mbata said.
He warned that perceived marginalisation weakens national unity and urged sustained federal backing for the Commission.
“This is the time to heal,” he said.
“It is the time to replace suspicion with trust, despair with hope, and marginalisation with meaningful inclusion.”
Development advocate Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu cautioned against allowing Vision 2050 to become another policy document without implementation.
“Vision 2050 must move from paper to practice,” she said.
She stressed that development should focus on practical needs such as roads, electricity, healthcare, and skills training.
“Women and youth must be central to this plan,” she added, citing her work in ICT and solar technology.
Representing Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said no state can achieve transformation alone.
“This gathering is a defining milestone,” Onyia said.
“We must institutionalise reforms so leadership transitions do not derail regional progress.”
As technical sessions continue on agriculture, transportation, and the digital economy, the central question remains whether Vision 2050 will finally turn long-promised regional integration into reality.
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