By Ime Jacobs
A trip to Akwa Ibom State always evokes envious recreations from those who are yet to visit. A Picturesque scenes of an industrial milieu, a peaceful ambience of peaceful coexistence, innovative mindset and the warmth of its people, make up the broad image many have of the emerging state of Africa.
That is true! But the governor, HE, Mr. Udom Emmanuel also wants the world to see Akwa Ibom differently. That is, as one of a States, not in Nigeria, but in Africa that will break the record by becoming fully entrepreneurial through fleets of world view innovations that meets the 21st century demands and global standards.
How so? Because the governor, came on seat in 2015 with a revolutionary vision imbued in his mantra, Dakkada – a mantra that riveted the mindsets of his people for creativity, self-dependence to create and ambience for employment and environment to serve as an investment basket for the rest of the world.
The governor’s vision is built on the premise that by encouraging and incentivising Akwa Ibomites, especially the youths, into entrepreneurship, its production will become an all-year-round affair that will generate not just employment, but boost the nation’s GDP, GNP and income-generating industries, thus ameliorating poverty level to the barest minimum
Although, his critics and sceptics have merely attempted to slam this new and hitherto revolutionary and anti-poverty move as too ambitious or unachievable, some even laughing it off as tomfoolery, but the governor has practically proven them wrong by taking awestrucking steps.
Governor Emmanuel himself takes both the criticism and praises with some self-assured zeal and determination by procuring indices that will in the rest of the generations remain unshakable and plinth like the “holy grail” Akwa Ibom people have been seeking for over 30 years since the creation of the State in 1987.
One of those indices which buoyed further the government resolve for entrepreneurial revolution was in 2018, when the “My Entrepreneurial Goal Program (MEGP)”, amidst many, was flagged off. MEGP was a revolutionary birth of entrepreneurial platform with a tsunamic wind that blew out the dormant innovative prowess of Akwa Ibom populace to a global relevance.
Between 2015 and now, a greater percentage of Akwa Ibom citizens have registered their patents that beckon global Patronage – a feat that is not only rare but unexpected.
This has shifted grounds for an economic nirvana, making Akwa Ibom a State of perfect happiness, employment hub with financial freedom. For, these entrepreneurs spur a large number of new jobs and according to research are less responsive to downturns in the economy, by creating new patents for various investors for economic boost.
Noteworthy is the fact that the front-lining countries that have succeeded in making significant progress economically, like America and other First World nations, have as number one ingredient, entrepreneurial commitment, seconded by the political will of the government of the day to pivot such commitment.
Here, the political will of governor Emmanuel has since 2015 translated into actions that, before the eventide of the decade, shall have turned Akwa Ibom into a State that exports its domestic product to the global market for global consumption.
Aside from the afore gone, MEGP is proactive, a futuristic program where exclusive and intensive business training workshop holds for participating entrepreneurs, with the belief that entrepreneurship and business skills are teachable and learnable. In such bargain, plans have been concluded for MEGP to add yet another programs termed IBOM KIDPRENEUR PROJECT, to initiate Akwa Ibom youngsters, aged 5 to 19 including secondary school leavers into the entrepreneurial space of the State.