The Federal Government has pledged to address infrastructure challenges militating against the growth of the real sector of the nation’s economy.

Vice President Namadi Sambo who stated this on Wednesday at Owerri during the closing of the investment summit organised by Governor Ikedi Ohakim’s administration, said the vision of the government in the short-term is to offer remedial measures to make the environment more investor friendly.

Sambo who was represented by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Josephine Tapgun, said government was not unmindful of the problems faced by the industrial sector, especially in the areas of energy, transportation and finance.

He assured that the federal government was determined to tackle the inadequacy of power supply which he said is a big challenge to the manufacturing sector.

Government, he said, would consolidate on the gains of the amnesty programme of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, noting that with peace in Niger Delta government’s efforts to improve power generation will be realised.

Sambo said as part of efforts to boost power generation, government will ensure the timely completion of the on-going Independent Power Projects (IPP) across the country considering the multiplier effects such projects will have on employment generation, poverty alleviation and wealth creation.

He reiterated the commitment of President Jonathan to diversify the economic base of the country by providing an environment conducive for investment to thrive.

He said: “As you are already aware, government has put in place a package of incentives to stimulate the growth of economic activities and also attract investment into the country. Investors are therefore encouraged to take advantage of our export processing zones that are established in all the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

Commending the development strides of Governor Ohakim, Sambo charged all to take advantage of the investment opportunities in the state in particular and Nigeria in general by investing in the critical sectors such as commercial agriculture, solid minerals, petrochemical, transportation, energy, power, ICT and manufacturing etc.

The investment summit, he said was an indication of the state government’s commitment to the realisation of the present administration’s seven-point agenda.

Declaring the two day summit closed, Ohakim said the investment summit was meant to articulate how the government, the indigenous entrepreneurs and foreign investors can forge a symbiotic partnership that grows the economy of the state and maximises profit for the investors.

He said: “We believe that Imo can get up and run. We believe that Imo needs to de-link itself from federal allocation dependency and the debilitating entitlement mentality. We believe as public relations maxim says, that nothing happens unless you make it happen. This administration decided to make Imo State a place where good things happen. That is why we have pursued deliberate programmes and policies to turn the jumble of stones and iron rods into an economic edifice,” he said.

He said the clean and green programme of his government to reclaim the degraded environment of the state was not an end in itself but a means to making the state healthy, habitable, attractive and investor friendly, adding that the state’s huge investment on security has resulted in the protection of lives and property.

However, he said while security was a necessary incentive to investment, the issue takes a back seat where there is windfall of profit, noting that Ireland became one of the most industrialised Information Technology (IT) nations of the world, not minding the violence in Northern Ireland.