The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Enugu State Government to commence the implementation of the South East Agro Development Programme, a regional initiative aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, attracting private investment, strengthening food security and accelerating economic growth across the region.

The agreement, signed in Enugu on Thursday, marks the Commission’s first state-level implementation partnership under its regional agricultural transformation agenda after nearly nine months of technical planning, stakeholder consultations, field assessments and intergovernmental collaboration.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Executive Director, Projects, SEDC, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, who represented the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mr. Mark Okoye, described the agreement as a major step in translating regional development priorities into tangible outcomes.

He stressed that the success of the initiative would be measured by its impact on communities rather than the signing ceremony itself.

“The true measure of our success will not be today’s signatures, photographs, or announcements. The true measure will be what follows after today: the land prepared, the investments attracted, the jobs created, the communities empowered, and the impact felt by ordinary people,” he said.

On behalf of the Enugu State Government, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said the partnership aligns with Governor Peter Mbah’s vision of positioning agriculture as a commercially viable sector capable of driving investment, job creation and economic diversification.

He reaffirmed the state’s commitment to providing the policy, institutional and regulatory support required for the successful implementation of the programme while ensuring that host communities benefit from the initiative.

According to the Commission, the South East Agro Development Programme is designed to unlock underutilised agricultural assets and establish agriculture as a catalyst for industrialisation and long-term economic development across the region.

Rather than functioning as a conventional agricultural intervention, the programme seeks to facilitate land activation, strengthen agricultural value chains, integrate host communities, promote environmental sustainability and attract private sector investment.

SEDC said the initiative was developed through extensive technical collaboration between its Directorate of Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture, including physical mapping, field verification and suitability assessments of agricultural land to ensure investment readiness.

The Commission added that development partners, financial institutions, research institutions, universities, colleges of agriculture, host communities,, and private investors would play key roles in implementing the programme.

It noted that financial institutions, including the Bank of Industry, are expected to develop financing mechanisms that will improve access to capital for qualified investors and project developers.

The Commission also identified youth employment as a central objective of the programme, saying it would create opportunities across agricultural production, processing, logistics, aggregation and related services while strengthening the region’s productive capacity.

SEDC disclosed that the initiative would be implemented across the five South-East states, with Abia State expected to sign a similar agreement next, while technical mapping activities are already underway in Ebonyi State.

Established under the South East Development Commission Act, 2024, the Commission is mandated to drive the reconstruction, rehabilitation, integration and sustainable economic development of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states through strategic partnerships and regional planning.