The six governors of the South-South region will meet in Benin City, Edo State, on Thursday, January 18, 2023, under the auspices of the BRACED Commission.

The meeting will be presided over by the Chairman of the BRACED Commission Governors’ Council, Governor Godwin Obaseki. It is expected to be attended by the newly elected governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa lbom, Cross River and Delta states, along with their commissioners of economic development and Planning. 

The meeting, which is the first among the South-South governors, will focus on how to revive and strengthen the BRACED Commission and the region’s aspiration for collective development and integration.

The idea of the BRACED was the outcome of the first South-South economic summit, held in Calabar in 2009. The Commission was created, thereafter, to drive the region’s aspirations of a sustainable regional economy, strong enough to provide employment and prosperity for the people of the region, as well as making it globally competitive.

The meeting will also discuss issues pertaining to security of the region and how to effectively entrench its knowledge sharing and peer review mechanism. A communiqué is expected to be issued after the meeting.