Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The President of South-East Chambers of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (SECCIMA), Mr Humphrey Ngonadi, has said that the Igbo entrepreneurs play crucial roles in the economic development of Nigeria.
Ngonadi said this at the weekend during the public presentation of a Compendium of 100 Outstanding Entrepreneurs and CEOs from the South-East, Nigeria, held in Enugu.
The event was organised and hosted by SECCIMA, in conjunction with the Maduka University Business School (MUBS).
“Today, daughters of Igboland whose entrepreneural activities, inventions and exploits in the business world, have resulted in economic development, employment and GDP growth in the South-East and Nigeria as a whole (sic).
“It is a well-known fact that Ndigbo are the force to reckon with in Nigerian economy.
“Our people play major roles in various sectors of Nigerian economy thus contributing significantly in the progress and sustainability of the nation
“This same trend of profound contributions by Ndigbo also obtain globally as many of our people excel in various parts of the world,” he said.
He said that the compendium was one of the avenues through which SECCIMA intended to recognize some deserving sons and daughters of Igboland.
He said though the list was inexhaustible the body had decided to be updating the compendium every three years, adding that those who did not make it in the current edition will be included in the next edition.
Ngonadi said that SECCIMA decided to recognize the contributions of those who have excelled in their various callings, hoping that this would provide a global reference material.
The SECCIMA president described the body as a global umbrella body for the organised private sector acting as a chain for business promotion, support business linkage and business advocates.
“This compendium provided us the opportunity to play an important role in business promotion and linkage,” he said.
Speaking, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, of the event, Barrister Jasper Nduagwuike said that the compendum was an intervention by SECCIMA to encourage entrepreneurship in the zone.
“However, we do not claim that this is exhaustive but even the worst critic will concede to us that this task is a good reflection of the reality on ground,” he said.
According to him, the compendium would contribute to the body of existing knowledge of business in the South-East and Nigeria in general.
“It will encourage other entrepreneurs to do their best knowing that they are being watched and waiting to be recognised.
“The younger Igbo entrepreneurs will also have something to look up to knowing that innovations and hardwork pays,” Nduagwuike said.
The compendum was unveiled by Dr Ugochukwu Chime, CEO, COPEN Group.
Chime, who is part of the outstanding entrepreneurs commended SECCIMA for thinking out of the box to make such a Compendium a reality, saying it was a worthwhile initiative.
The Director General of SECCIMA, Dr Daniel Ochi, said that the compendum would be made available in soft copies, embassies, airports, libraries and other strategic places.
According to him, this was to showcase the best and brightest of South-East entrepreneurs to the world and encourage upcoming ones to fight for a place amongst the best.
