By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Ebonyi State Government has signed a business agreement with Silverbird Group and a consortium of businessmen from Computer Village Lagos.

The agreement, which was signed during the Ebonyi Business Summit held recently in Abakaliki, the state capital, also saw the State Government signing an agreement with another businesses concern, Everyday Group.

The agreement with Silverbird Group will enable the broadcast giant establish a branch of its Cinema in the state, the first in South-East.

The Computer Village consortium was led by Mr Prince Tony, President, Computer Village Technology Merchants of Nigeria.

The summit also had in attendance he President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, and Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe.

At the event, Nwodo and the State Governor, Dave Umahi, called on people of the southeast to invest in the region.

Nwodo emphasised the need for the people of the zone to go into Agriculture which he described as the best to go.

“Our people should come back home and invest. We should go into agriculture and digital technology where the world is going to. We must turn our Igboland into Catalonia of Spain, into what Bayern is to Germany. If you go to Spain, you can’t go into business without Catalonia, if you go to Germany, you can’t do any business without Bayern.

“Onitsha and Aba markets in Anambra and Abia are almost coming to that. Here in Ebonyi, the Governor is almost turning the state into Bayern of Igboland because of the phenomenal growth the state has recorded under the present administration in the state,” Nwodo stated.

In his remarks, Umahi said he has created enabling environment for businesses to thrive and investors to invest in the state.

He disclosed that 24 Chinese have indicated interest to invest in the state and have obtained shops at the newly constructed shopping mall in the state which he said has the capacity to employ over 25,000 unemployed youths.

“In Ebonyi, we have a law and this law has tied our government up and down, that you will not be afraid of any investment. No government policy can affect any investment in Ebonyi state.

“Even the mall, even though we are renting the mall per month but the agreement we are signing for anybody taking the mall is for 99 years.

“Every five years, we look at the rate to review it. I will not be afraid to say that for Ebonyians who are born here, I will give them concession,” he stated.