Cross River banks on fresh management team to boost economic development

•  Team to analyse workable model before proposing

Ben Eguzozie

Cross River, a state struggling to wriggle itself out of the worst-performing unemployment states list, has come with an economic management team (EMT) for the first time in more than 20 years. This is as Governor Bassey Out inaugurated a nine-member economic management team, which he chairs, to drive initiatives that should berth good economic fortunes for the state and its residents.

The team, which has the state economic adviser (SEA), Peter Oti, as the alternate chairman, is warned not to engage in mere academic exercise: rehash a model selected from a book; but must critically evaluate the said economic model, weigh its workability for a state faced with a depressed economy, before proposing.

Cross River, a state described by the OECD in its 2022 “Global survey on localising blue economy,” as one that is “home to all blue economy sectors, except water-based renewable energy,” is faced with tough risks such as: technological challenges, unclear allocation of roles and responsibilities, lack of political will, lack of planning and decision-making at the adequate scale, insufficient link between marine and freshwater policies, lack of co-ordination between government departments, lack of co-ordination between levels of government, inadequate technical and human capacities of civil servants, insufficient data collection and information sharing, regulatory barriers, and cultural barriers.

According to the OECD, Cross River, with a GDP of $9.3 billion, has the main sectors contributing to its blue economy as: seafood, shipping, water-related transport, port activities and water-related tourism.

Future priorities for the state include: to set up a formal strategy, enhance resilience to climate change, tackle pollution of water bodies, boost technology use and uptake, foster a science-policy dialogue, preserve local culture and traditions linked to aquatic ecosystems, foster collaboration between blue economy sectors and others, improve the regulatory environment, create new jobs and business opportunities, protect the most vulnerable from negative impacts, channel public and private funds towards the blue economy, and improve data collection on the blue economy.

Governor Otu said that it was important for the economic management team to align with the workings and programmes of the Presidential Economic Management Team (PEMT), for proper synergy.

“This marks a significant step towards economic growth and development in the state, aiming to enhance the standard of living for the people. The focus is on tangible economic progress, to ensure citizens can access basic needs and create wealth for themselves,” the governor said.

He also stressed that the informal sector, including small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), is crucial in driving the state’s gross domestic product (GDP),” he stressed.

The governor emphasised the need to harness the potential in the state’s economic blueprint, in order to achieve the responsibility to improve the living standard, and unlock the state’s potential, which he said would rest on the inaugurated team.

According to the governor, enhancing the state’s economic fortunes and its residents requires hard work, selflessness, accountability, inclusivity, and a clear focus on delivering measurable outcomes; insisting that the support of the citizenry was essential for the EMT’s success, with his administration emphasis on “People First” approach. “The government exists for the people, and their cooperation is vital for economic progress”.

Other members of the EMT are the state’s commissioner for finance, Michael Odere; attorney-general/commissioner for justice, Ededem Ani; commissioner for agriculture, Johnson Ebekpo Jnr; commissioner for special duties, Oden Ewa; director-general of the state Bureau for Public Private Partnerships, Francis Ntamu; and the senior special adviser on international development and cooperation, Victor Edet. The executive vice chairman of the state planning commission, Bong Duke serves as the EMT’s secretary.