Eleven months after it was inaugurated, the South East Development Commission (SEDC) is set to unveil an ambitious long-term development blueprint for the region as it prepares to host the South East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders Forum in Enugu.

Speaking at a press briefing in Enugu yesterday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mark Okoye, stated that the initiative is aimed at addressing decades-long infrastructure deficits, ecological challenges, and economic fragmentation in the region.

Okoye explained that the SEDC, a Federal Government agency established to fast-track regional development, has spent the past months laying a solid institutional and strategic foundation following its inauguration on February 10, 2025.

“By law, the Commission was created to address infrastructure challenges in the South-East dating back to the Civil War era, as well as ecological issues, while also developing a long-term regional master plan in partnership with state and non-state actors,” he said.

According to him, the Vision 2050 forum, themed “Charting a Shared Path to Sustainable Prosperity for the South-East,” is the outcome of extensive engagements with South-East governors and over 250 Federal Government agencies since the Commission became operational.

He disclosed that although the Commission is yet to receive funding for project execution, it has developed robust ideas and frameworks to drive development and is determined not to rely solely on government funding.

Okoye expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for establishing the Commission decades after the end of the civil war, describing it as a critical step toward addressing historical development gaps in the region.

He noted that the forum would bring together a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including state governments, the organised private sector, youth groups, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, development partners, commissioners for budget and planning, and the Ministry of Regional Development.