Cross River State Government will commence its first energy and power summit in Calabar today with the aims of diversifying its economy and creating employment opportunities for its teeming youths.

The state Commissioner for Power and Renewable Energy, Mr Eka Wills, who made this known during a media chat in Calabar weekend, said the search for a solution to dwindling oil revenues led to focus on other sources of generating energy and power.

He said: “The energy sector is one of the most outstanding ways of bringing the state back to winning ways,” noting that the drop in production capacity and prices of petroleum products, among other reasons, made the state to “strategise and implement quick-win initiatives to attract conventional and alternative investments to finance development projects.”

He disclosed that the summit, starting today at the Calabar International Convention Centre (CCIC), Calabar, would see stakeholders, experts in the energy and power sectors as well as consultants brainstorm on how best to utilise the vast endowments of the state to boost the economy.

“The resultant strategy is a three-pronged approach of public private and strategic investor partnership to realise the dawn of a new era,” he added.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Finance, Mike Odere, said the state was ready to implement the resolutions of the summit to boost the confidence of the people for a better tomorrow.

Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, in his remarks, noted that the determination of Gov Bassey Otu administration to deliver was not in doubt, considering the vast infrastructural changes taking place across the state within the last few months.