Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has called for deliberate efforts to strengthen local economies across Nigeria, describing grassroots economic development as critical to national productivity, economic resilience and shared prosperity. economic development as critical to national productivity, economic resilience and shared prosperity.
Uzodinma made the call on Friday in Lagos while speaking as the guest speaker at the maiden Lagos Country Club Policy Dialogue with Government Leaders, themed, ‘The Future is Local: Stimulating Grassroots Economies for Inclusive Growth’.
He challenged policymakers and business leaders to consider how stronger local economies could improve productivity and create opportunities for Nigerians living outside major commercial centres.
The governor observed that many people driving Lagos’ economy originated from different communities across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, bringing with them knowledge, values, relationships and ambitions shaped by their places of origin.
He asked what Nigeria could achieve if those communities were transformed into stronger centres of production, enterprise and economic opportunities.
According to him, the prosperity of millions of Nigerians depends largely on the strength of local economies, particularly in rural communities where farming, markets, workshops, small businesses and other services sustain livelihoods.
Uzodinma said rural communities accounted for 80 per cent of Nigeria’s population, warning that economic inactivity in such areas could fuel unemployment, rural-urban migration, crime and insecurity.
“When local economies sit idle, the consequences do not stay local. Young people leave for the big cities or stay behind with nothing productive to do.
“That idleness has a way of finding the wrong employers. Crime and insecurity feed on it,” he said.
He stressed that government must provide the necessary foundations for economic development, while private capital should drive productive enterprises, create jobs and expand prosperity.
Earlier, the Chairman of the programme, Mr Alex Goma, former Managing Director of Grand Cereals Ltd., said policies alone could not transform Nigeria’s economy without effective implementation.
“Policy is a promise; execution is what keeps it,” he said.
Goma identified visionary leadership, functional institutions, willing private capital and active citizen participation as essential requirements for successful economic policy implementation.
In his opening remarks, the President of Lagos Country Club, Mr Seyi Adewunmi, said the theme was chosen to encourage fresh thinking and practical approaches to grassroots economic development.
Adewunmi noted that Nigeria’s economic future depended not only on government policies but also on translating them into tangible opportunities and prosperity for citizens.
He said the country’s economic strength extended beyond Abuja, the Central Bank, oil terminals and national headlines, pointing to the contributions of shoemakers in Aba, tailors in Yaba, traders in Onitsha, farmers in Benue and technology entrepreneurs in Lagos.
“Small businesses carry nearly half of our national output and the overwhelming majority of our jobs,” he said.
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The club president said the dialogue was expected to generate actionable ideas and strategic partnerships between public policymakers and private enterprises to accelerate inclusive economic growth.
Traditional rulers, politicians, industrialists and elected public office holders attended the programme.
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