It has been my position that building a modern city is not a rocket science . It takes a visionary and revolutionary Leader to build a 21st century State . Dubai did not fall from the moon . Even Rwanda in Africa is setting a new standard for Africa just because of one man’s ideas ! Idea rules the world . Prof Chukwuma Soludo is a great thinker and reformer. His revolutionary ideas can disrupt our age-long consumption driven system to productive and industrialized system. We are too religious in this part of the world that planning is exchanged with miracle. Soludo wonders will come as a miracle of the century. GGM will partner with Soludo ideas to achieve the desired results for our people as two can always walk together if there is an understanding.
Prof Soludo has announced that he will set up a financial system that will be most transparent as well as accessible. A sound financial management attracts international financial agencies and with good developmental plan, local and international investors will see Anambra state under Prof Soludo as investment destination .
This is Prof Soludo response when asked where he would find money to fund his dream smart city – ”Funding the audacious agenda of this government, can be very challenging, especially in these economic times. Here is where my core competence as a development/monetary/macro Economist and a Central banker, will be critical. I will leverage my professional experience and my extensive national and international networks and contacts in the development community to ensure that we mobilize the required funding.The plan has been fully ‘costed’. It will be funded through a mix of direct state government funding, private sector investments and concessions, project financing, PPP, grants from DFIs, counterpart funding from FGN and DFIs, and exploiting innovative financing mechanisms offered by the FGN such as the Infrastructure Tax Credit scheme, infrastructure fund, etc.Maximizing Anambra’s access to the various FGN’s investments under the concurrent list, will provide supplementary investment financing.With sound credit rating for the State government, there will be easier access to the capital market. Our government will only borrow for bankable projects that will pay back and contribute to the state’s economic transformation” End of the quote.
Good Governance Ministry is the first political Ministry in Nigeria working hard to awaken the silent majority on the urgent need to participate in the electoral process in order to chose credible and visionary political leaders that would transform our society.
Ndubuisi Anaenugwu is an economist and Deputy Leader of Good Governance Ministry
