NDCCITMA will Create Jobs, Address Challenges Facing N’Delta – Ogbuku

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has stated that the formation of the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines, and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) was borne out of the need to create jobs and develop existing small-scale businesses in the region.

Speaking during the NDCCITMA sensitization workshop in Akure, Ondo State, Ogbuku assured that the new chamber of commerce would assist in addressing the socio-economic and political challenges facing the people of the Niger Delta region.

Ogbuku was represented at the event by the Ondo State representative on the NDDC board, Hon. Otitoju Atikase.

A statement by Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Director of Corporate Affairs, quoted Ogbuku as saying that the Commission would contribute N30 billion as its counterpart fund to ensure the success of the Chamber of Commerce.

He said: “When we came on board, the first thing we did was evaluate what was on the ground and immediately came up with the idea of establishing the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines, and Agriculture.

“As an interventionist agency, we believe that the NDCCITMA initiative will be able to bridge the gap between NDDC and the people in the areas of job creation, trade, and supporting nano, small, and medium-scale enterprises to grow.”

In his remarks, the Secretary of the NDCCITMA board, Dr. Solomon Edebiri, explained that the initiative would not only be a rallying point for mentorship but would also bring about positive development in the informal sector and support small business groups.

He declared: “This is the opportunity the business community has been waiting for. This initiative will bring positive development, galvanizing the informal sector and small business groups yearning for support, as NDCCITMA will be a rallying point, providing guidance and mentorship.”

Edebiri noted that NDCCITMA would invigorate the system to ensure that small business owners could access soft loans.

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