Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State on Tuesday in Awka, signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of 10,000 housing units in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project, which is in partnership with Affordable Building Concepts International Ltd., is valued at 476 million dollars (N95.2 billion).
The project will be executed on 200 hectares of land spread across five different locations in the state.
Obiano, while signing the MoU, expressed optimism that the project would bring relief to some citizens who come to work from Enugu and Asaba.
“This is the third MoU we are signing on housing. We hope that all these will go a long way in ameliorating the challenges we are having in the housing sector, especially for civil servants.
“Now that we have provided security, people who are living in Asaba or Enugu will begin to relocate to Anambra State,” he said.
Earlier, Igwe Cyril Enweze, the Chairman, Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), said that the project would promote urban development and modernisation.
“Our aim is to provide relatively affordable housing for the people as well as attract revenue through the state’s share of the profit.’’
Enweze expressed optimism that the project would provide a facelift to the capital city and drive urbanization of its host communities.
“The project will generate 1,500 direct jobs during the construction phase and about 6,500 indirect employment opportunities, of which 75 per cent will be dedicated to Anambra people.
“Thus, local artisans and people in the host communities will be engaged as labour and in other capacities, especially during the construction phase of the project,” he said.
Mr Tony Duncan, the Director, Sales for Middle East and West Africa of the company, expressed optimism that it would have a long-term relationship with the state.
“I am going to be the man on the ground here. I’m coming to live in Nigeria. I’ll work hand in hand with your engineers and architects,” he said. (NAN)
