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THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY
FEATURES
Acting Features Editor Charles Ajunwa Email charles.ajunwa@thisdaylive.com
The Calabar Garment Factory
Bright Prospects for Calabar Garment Factory After fighting off spirited attempts to scuttle its establishment, Joseph Ushigiale who recently visited the factory reports that the Calabar Garment Factory is emerging as a pioneering outfit that will drive the lucrative outsourcing business for local and global brands
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arring any last minute changes, President Muhammadu Buhari would again be in Calabar, the Cross River State capital for the official inauguration of the multi-billion naira ultra-modern Calabar Garment Factory. For governor of Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade, it is a remarkable sign of good tidings and a befitting way to start 2017 in grand style given the political capital he would reap from the factory’s inauguration by the President. Ayade is no stranger to such inauguration; recall that he scored a first, last year when he went down on record as the first opposition governor whose state was the President’s first port of call immediately on assuming office, to inaugurate the Super Highway, a 260km route that would link the Southern with the Northern Nigeria. Started barely a year ago, the factory which stands conspicuously next to the Cross River State Pharmaceutical and Rice City companies currently witnessing a frenzy of construction works along the newly christened Industrial Boulevard, located along the President Goodluck Jonathan Bye Pass behind the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, has already been completed, equipped and ready for production. According to the state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Peter Egba, the garment factory ranks among the administration’s first signature projects to
be delivered within its first year in office.
When we set up this factory, the intention was not just to create jobs but to guarantee that young men and women who have been challenged by circumstances of their births have the opportunity to better their lots. I’m so excited at what I am seeing here today – the number of people and their energy – and it is an indication that our factory has taken off. Remember, the factory has the capacity to create 3,000 jobs
“The idea is primarily to industrialise the state; the governor is deliberately initiating policies that would gradually change the perception of the state as a civil service and a mere tourism state to an industrial hub and wean the state off dependence on federal allocation.” He told THISDAY at the factory recently. He said “from the inception of this administration, the governor’s direction has been to decouple the state from waiting every month for federal allocation to a state that is largely driven by industries and agriculture. These are areas we have seen that we have great comparative advantages. Therefore, what the governor keeps emphasising is to utilise these comparative advantages we hold over other states in these areas to create a full value chain for agriculture and industries.” He told THISDAY that one of the major thrust of embarking on these two key sectors was because of the stark realities of the army of unemployed youths across the state. Egba acknowledged that with agriculture, the state has the opportunity to pull millions of indigenes from poverty and want, stating that it was for that reason that the administration is engaging in its current industrialisation push beginning with the garment factory. “We have already engaged over 1000 workers to begin work in the factory added to this are the multiplier effects that come with other ancillary services. We are currently planning to add restaurants,
warehouse and sick bay as we strive to empower the people. There are also plans to introduce microfinancing to the local farmers through the small holders’ scheme to grow cotton for the state to buy their produce as off-takers. “This is the first project on the newly opened Industrial Boulevard to start and be completed by our administration. This will be followed by the pharmaceutical and cosmetic as well as the Rice City factories to create a production hub for medicare supplies, fashion products and rice seed multiplication,” he declared. At the opening of the factory recently, Ayade explained that his concept of the factory was beyond creating employment opportunities. He said his idea is to provide a safety net for the underprivileged in the society as well as create a platform for skills acquisition. According to him, “When we set up this factory, the intention was not just to create jobs but to guarantee that young men and women who have been challenged by circumstances of their births have the opportunity to better their lots. “I’m so excited at what I am seeing here today – the number of people and their energy – and it is an indication that our factory has taken off. Remember, the factory has the capacity to create 3,000 jobs. “Truly, if you call yourself a leader, your focus should be on the vulnerable and the Continued on next page