DELTA State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has said that the Asaba International Airport would be upgraded to required standard with an additional cargo terminal to boost business activities.
The Governor made the disclosure today in Asaba while performing the ground-breaking ceremony for the Asaba City Mall which will cost about 40 million dollars.
“I believe that the airport development in Asaba is something that will help business to grow, though, there were some issues, we have made progress and the contractor is already back to site,” he said, adding, “I believe that in another six months, our airport will be of the required standard that all planes can land and we are planning to build the Cargo airport which will definitely be of much interest to the companies that are developing the Asaba City Mall because they can bring their goods and services to Asaba from other parts of the world with greater speed and ease.”
Governor Okowa who said he was excited to perform the ground-breaking ceremony of the multi-million dollar shopping mall, asserted, “this project will steer up and stimulate the economic growth of the state in terms of commerce and more importantly, it is going to be an avenue to create a lot of jobs, both direct and indirect jobs for our teeming youths and our people in Delta State particularly those who are residing within Asaba and its environs.”
“I want to commend Resilient Africa, Baysol Development Company for bringing this project to Asaba and a similar project in Warri which is already completed,” the Governor stated, reiterating, “we are an investment friendly state and we will continue to encourage investors who are coming into the country, especially, Delta State both in the area of industrialisation and commerce, we will create the enabling environment that will ensure you work under peaceful conditions to enable the industries grow.”
Governor Okowa used the occasion to call for collaboration between companies operating in the state and their host communities, observing that there will be mutual understanding and peaceful co-existence when the communities are given some percentages in the ownership structure of the companies.
According to him, “we have to find a way to ensure that the communities are part of the ownership structure because, the more we begin to do that, the more the people will likely get committed to the protection and progress of the investment realizing that they are part owners of the investment.”
Earlier, Mr Holden Marshal of Resilient Africa informed the Governor that they have successfully completed the Warri City Mall which plays host to Shoprite and assured that about 40 million dollars would be spend in developing the Asaba City Mall..
