The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has sealed a new partnership with the Italian government to strengthen sociocultural and economic relationships between both countries. The development is also expected to advance opportunities in agriculture, technology, tourism, and culture while facilitating cooperation in technical and vocational training, among others.
The deal between Edo State and the Italian government was signed with the Veneto region of Italy. The governor while signing the deal revealed the impact of his government on various sectors of the economy, noting that the state government is committed to exploring collaborations in culture, agriculture, technology, technical and vocational education with the Italian Government to empower youths in the state with the right skills to compete favourably globally.
According to Obaseki, “I have served as Governor of Edo State for over seven and a half years, and during this period, we have expanded the scope of our collaboration with the Italian government, spanning joint efforts in migration management, cultural collaboration, international exchanges, among others. Today, we are here to strengthen the bond of collaboration between the people of Edo State and the Veneto region. These would span across Culture, Agriculture, Technology, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).”
The governor who said these are the key areas of focus of his government said he was glad that “we have made tremendous strides in strengthening institutions that advance these causes in Edo State over the last seven years.”
Agriculture is one of the principal benefactors of the transformation made by the Obaseki administration. So, he said, “In agriculture, we have the biggest oil palm development project in Africa with about 70,000 hectares of land under cultivation. Investment in food processing has also been on the rise in the State as we have two active ethanol plants on the verge of completion. All these are made possible by the efforts to boost investment inflow into the State, which has resulted in the state emerging as one of the fastest growing economies in Nigeria.” A further measure to improve on the achievements would surely be a welcome development to people of the state.
