Vice President Shettima Launches South-East Vision 2050 Blueprint, Announces South East Investment Company Limited

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday launched the South-East Vision 2050, a 25-year regional development blueprint, describing the South-East as a central pillar of Nigeria’s economic future.

Speaking at the South-East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders’ Forum in Enugu, Shettima announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of the South East Investment Company Limited — a special-purpose vehicle to mobilise resources from the diaspora, capital markets, and development finance institutions to drive the region’s growth.

The Vice President emphasized that the forum marked a deliberate shift from short-term governance cycles to a structured, multi-decade framework tailored to the South-East’s unique entrepreneurial spirit, global diaspora networks, and historical ties to international capital.

“This forum reflects foresight, responsibility, and a shared understanding that the future is not something we wait for, but something we must deliberately design,” – VP Shettima

He explained that the new company will work in synergy with the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) to close postwar infrastructure gaps, enhance regional competitiveness, and deliver tangible outcomes in jobs, productivity, and inclusive growth.

Shettima stressed that the SEDC is not another layer of bureaucracy but a focused delivery institution. “Let me be clear. This is not another layer of bureaucracy. It is a delivery institution, focused on tangible outcomes that translate into jobs, productivity, and growth,” he said. He acknowledged the region’s unique historical burden, making deliberate, long-term planning both urgent and necessary.

The Vice President praised the forum’s inclusivity, bringing together federal and state governments, traditional institutions, the private sector, civil society, youth groups, diaspora networks (including Umu Igbo Unite, a U.S.-based group of over 10,000 young professionals), and development partners.

Addressing young people directly, he declared: “To the young people of the South-East and of Nigeria as a whole, let me speak plainly. You are not spectators in our national journey. You are central to it. Your energy, creativity, and ambition are essential to the Nigeria we are working to build. Development must not remain an abstract promise. It must be felt in the daily lives of our people.”

Governors Endorse Vision, Propose South-East Common Market

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah hailed the Vision 2050 as an opportunity to align with the national Vision 2060 agenda, praising regional unity and proposing a South-East common market to harness collective economic strength. “This is the awakening of an economic giant,” he said, urging a paradigm shift in planning and execution while calling for complementary efforts in security and inclusive development.

Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru pledged full support, noting the plan’s potential to close unemployment and poverty gaps while unlocking agriculture, agribusiness, education, and solid minerals.

Abia State Governor Alex Otti expressed satisfaction at the unanimous stakeholder adoption, citing transparent leadership and abundant resources as foundations for industrialization and economic transformation.

Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo thanked President Tinubu for creating the SEDC – a long-demanded institution – and described the Vision 2050 conversation as historic, marking the first unified regional framework adoption by South-East leaders.

Key Institutional and Partner Support

UNDP Resident Representative Mrs. Elsie Attafuah shared global lessons on long-term regional planning, stressing the need for infrastructure to serve domestic production and cutting-edge execution to sustain gains. Minister of Regional Development Engr. Abubakar Momoh called the event a “crowning moment,” highlighting SEDC’s focus on infrastructure revitalization (rail, commodity ecosystems) and coordinated transformation.

Minister of Trade and Investment Dr. Jumoke Oduwole pledged her ministry’s support, announcing a nationwide trade facilitation tour to boost exports — with the South-East as a springboard for Nigeria’s industrial transformation.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide President Sen. Azuta Mbata commended the Federal Government’s prioritization of regional integration and pledged the region’s support for Vision 2050 and the Renewed Hope Agenda. SEDC Chairman Sir Emeka Wogu and Managing Director Mr. Mark Okoye thanked President Tinubu for the commission’s creation, emphasizing its role in sustainable prosperity through infrastructure, power, peace-building, and connectivity.

Goodwill messages came from corporate bodies, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), faith-based organizations, youth groups, diaspora representatives, and development partners. The Vice President, joined by South-East governors and dignitaries, toured an exhibition gallery mounted by the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture.

The launch signals a coordinated push for long-term, inclusive development in the South-East, aligning regional aspirations with national goals in addition to underlying political interests under President Tinubu’s administration.