SEDC set to flag off first agro-mechanisation project in Enugu

By Kayode Idowu
The South East Development Commission (SEDC) is set to flag off its first agro-mechanisation project in Enugu State as part of its plan to develop 50,000 hectares of farmland across the South-East.
The project, located in Nomeh Unateze community, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, is one of 15 agro-mechanisation projects planned by the Commission across the region’s 15 senatorial zones.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SEDC, Mark Okoye, disclosed this on Tuesday during a site inspection and community engagement with residents and stakeholders in the area.
Okoye said the Commission had spent its first year after its establishment in 2024 conducting extensive studies and developing a blueprint for the economic development of the South-East.
He said the agro-mechanisation programme was one of the major components of the blueprint and was designed to tackle food insecurity, unemployment and insecurity in the region.
“So, what we are here for is one of our flagship initiatives, which is called the South East Agro Mechanisation Programme or the South East Agro Development Programme, where we are committing to develop up to 50,000 hectares of land and that will be used for mechanised farming across the region.
“Essentially we are here for a pre-assessment, pre-flag-off visit to see the area, understand the level of work that needs to be done and ensure that the contractors can start mobilising very quickly so that once we hit the site we start running.
“Because a big part of what we are looking at is how to address food insecurity and unemployment, ensuring that we are producing what we put on the table, we are starting with pilot programmes where we are taking 200 to 300 hectares of farmland across 15 senatorial zones and developing them to standard farms where you not only have cassava, maize, some of our staple crops, but also some cash crops. In some areas, there will be the centres for learning and centres for productivity.
“We will be doing a flag-off and the governor has agreed for next week. So, we just came to assess the area, meet with the community, once again, ensuring that all the plans are in place.
“And the second we put this investment here, at least N4bn or N5 billion of added investment will come in,” he stated.
Okoye said the programme would not only increase agricultural production but also create employment opportunities and stimulate economic activities around the participating communities.
He also commended President Bola Tinubu for establishing the SEDC, saying the Commission would provide a platform for mobilising resources and coordinating development across the South-East.
The SEDC chief executive urged residents of the region to reciprocate what he described as the Federal Government’s development efforts by supporting President Tinubu beyond 2027.
He further disclosed that the Commission would soon establish an investment agency to mobilise local and diaspora investments for accelerated development of the region.
The Media Aide to the Enugu State Governor and community leader, Uche Anichukwu, described the agro-mechanisation project as one of the benefits of the interventions of the Tinubu and Governor Peter Mbah administrations in the state.
Anichukwu cited the Nenwe-Nomeh-Mburubu-Nara road, with a spur to Oduma, saying the road had created multiple access routes to markets for the proposed agricultural project.
The Chairman of the Nomeh Unateze Town Union Caretaker Committee, Dr. Chukwudi Anyianuka, expressed the community’s support for the project and commended President Tinubu and Governor Mbah for siting it in the community.
“We are very, very happy. We cannot wait to see it actualised and we promise that we are going to provide everything that is necessary to make sure that this is established to make sure that it.
“The Commission has taken a methodical approach to regional development. Rather than the pitfall of throwing money at development challenges, it undertook a study of the region and came up with a masterplan, which includes this initiative, to reinvent the South East post-civil war,” Anyianuka added.
Traditional rulers, community heads and other stakeholders from Nomeh Unateze attended the interactive session.