Economic Summit: Warri to get world-class tech hub

Chairman of the Warri Economic Summit Group, Barr. Emmanuel Jakpa has said a world-class technology hub will soon swing it’s doors open for operations in the oil-rich city of Warri in Delta State.

TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Jakpa made this known on Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the second edition of the Warri Economic Summit at Brown Hill Event Centre, Ogunu.

Explaining, he said the tech hub will provide co-working spaces for all kinds of technology entrepreneurs at low or no cost for one year.

Meanwhile, Dr. Michael Tidi, the Executive Chairman of Warri South local government council while addressing participants at the summit, said the Warri South council is midwifing a process that will lead to the birth of a 1000 hectare oil palm plantation in one rural community within Warri in the next eight months

He disclosed that the first two stages in the project has been undertaken and in the next few weeks, a process of recruiting young school leavers for the project will commence.

The State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief David Edevbie commended the plans to create the world-class tech hub in Warri and the 1000 hectare oil palm plantation, saying the Okowa administration will follow the agenda of the local government’s leadership.

Tidi had during a media briefing for the summit at the Warri South Secretariat said that the annual Warri Economic Summit (WES) has been essential to the economic progress made in Warri.

The council boss stated that the Summit was to ensure that Warri is transformed into an open, private sector-led economy, with an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

He noted that WES has remained committed to changing the negative narrative about Warri by providing a platform for cross fertilization of ideas that would create a road map for where Warri needs to be in the next decade

The Chairman further said the Summit will also assist in proffering solution on how to reduce the over reliance on federal allocations by partnering with land developers to do business in Warri in order to reduce the rural-urban drift and improve the standard of living and economic prosperity for the citizenry.

While emphasizing the vision for Warri to keep rocking and rising to a more robust and competitive private sector economy, Tidi revealed the theme of the summit as “Warri Rocks”.

In attendance at the summit were Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, Dr. Augustine Uroye, Chief Joseph Otumara, Barr. Tsewo Edema, Hon. Griftson Omatsuli, Chief Ikomi, Comrade Sheriff Mulade and Nze Francis Onuorah.