The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening economic and digital cooperation with Abia State, with the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter, highlighting the state’s entrepreneurial base and emerging opportunities for investment, innovation and job creation.
Baxter made the commitment during a two-day visit to Abia, where he held talks with Governor Alex Otti, engaged civil society and electoral stakeholders, visited the Geometric Power Plant and participated in a state-level programme designed to strengthen the policy and regulatory foundations for digital transformation.
The visit provided a platform for discussions on expanding UK-Abia cooperation in trade, investment, education, energy, innovation and digital development, while democratic governance, preparations for forthcoming elections and the need for a peaceful and inclusive political environment also featured in the engagements.
Baxter said Abia’s entrepreneurial energy was increasingly being supported by a policy environment designed to allow businesses and innovators to thrive.
“Abia is one of Nigeria’s most entrepreneurial states, and that energy is now being matched by a positive policy environment,” he said.
The British envoy said he was impressed by the ambition and innovation encountered during the visit, as well as efforts by the Otti administration to create conditions for economic activity and investment.
He said the same approach was necessary in the digital sector, stressing that successful digital transformation required sound policy and regulatory frameworks.
“Digital transformation depends on getting the policy and regulatory environment right, and we are responding to Abia State’s demonstrated desire to do exactly that,” Baxter said.
He said the UK would continue supporting the state through its Digital Access Programme and the State-Level Policy, Regulatory and Institutional Reforms Enabling Digital Transformation (SPRIRET) initiative.
“We look forward to deepening our partnership with the Government and people of Abia State and building on the strong foundations of the UK-Nigeria strategic partnership,” he added.
Otti, in turn, thanked the British Deputy High Commissioner and his team for the visit, saying Abia was open to partnerships capable of accelerating the state’s economic development.
He expressed optimism that the engagement would translate into stronger government-to-government and business-to-business relationships, particularly in areas capable of supporting the state’s economic transformation.
A major focus of the visit was electricity, with Otti taking Baxter on a tour of the Geometric Power Plant and stressing the importance of reliable power to Aba’s manufacturing and wider business ecosystem.
According to the governor, unreliable electricity imposes significant costs on businesses through dependence on generators, diesel and equipment maintenance.
“Once you have reliable power, whatever the cost is, it is still going to be cheaper than not having reliable power,” Otti said.
The governor said his administration was working to extend reliable electricity beyond Aba and secure the necessary rights that would allow the state to operate as an integrated power market, building on infrastructure already provided by Geometric Power.
Otti also pointed to Aba’s established manufacturing base, particularly in footwear, garments and other locally produced goods, saying the state was working with development partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to improve product finishing, packaging and access to export markets.
On digital development, the governor assured the UK team of the state government’s participation in the Digital Access Programme engagement, saying his administration would continue to identify practical areas of collaboration with the British government.
The engagement comes under the UK-funded Digital Access Programme, through which SPRIRET is being implemented in five Nigerian states, including Abia, to strengthen the policy, regulatory and institutional environment needed to support inclusive digital transformation.
The visit therefore brought together three critical strands of Abia’s development agenda—digital infrastructure and regulation, reliable electricity and access to investment—while opening further channels for cooperation between the state and the UK.
