The SENEC Journey:Process, Milestones and Looking

Forward

Prof Eric EbohGeneral Coordinator, SENEC Interim Steering Committee & Executive Director, African Institute for Applied Economics

How SENEC came about - Whistle was blown on 26th September 2006

• South-East Nigeria Economic Commission (SENEC) emanated from a Stakeholders Forum on the Future of Industrial Clusters in South-Eastern Nigeria, convened by the African Institute for Applied Economics (AIAE), on 26th September 2006 in Enugu.

• In its Communiqué, it was observed that the poor state of industrial development in the south-east reflects the underlying lack of coordinated economic, institutional and infrastructural development across the region. It was reasoned that though industrial clusters pose critical policy challenges, they cannot be treated in isolation from the overall economic context of the entire south-east economic zone

The Mandate to AIAE• It was resolved that the teething development challenges

of the South East geopolitical zone are best addressed through holistic and systematic approaches and that efforts should be made to evolve a southeast regional organization to drive and coordinate economic planning and development

• The African Institute for Applied Economics (AIAE)

was mandated to develop the shape and manner of the regional platform and facilitate its establishment as a public-private sector-civil society vehicle that will connect government, private sector and civil society in the southeast states of the country as well as Diaspora Ndigbos

In pursuant of this mandate……AIAE, on 15th January 2007, appointed and inaugurated:

• A Steering Committee to midwife the regional organisation - with members from a wide spectrum including political office holders, public officers, professionals, academics, leaders of business and civil society. – Study Sub-Committee– Sensitisation and Publicity Sub-Committee– Consultation Sub-Committee

• The Subcommittees had well-defined TORs and Coordinators

• In the case of Steering Committee, a Chairperson – Engr. Sir Chris Okoye,

• In the case of Study Sub-Committee, a Coordinator – Prof Ukwu I. Ukwu

Later on, in response to functional needs…., we constituted two additional Subcommittees

• Legal Framework Sub-Committee - to identify appropriate legal and statutory implications, determine and recommend the legal identity and registration options as well as legal details of the public-private partnership for SENEC– Coordinator – Olisa Agbakoba, SAN

• South-East Development Fund Sub-Committee – to define , detail and recommend the best-fit “Fund Model” as a vital investment vehicle of SENEC– Coordinator – Prof. Herbert Orji

• Strategic (Common) Projects Sub-Committee – to identify fundable high-impact projects and programmes of strategic common-interest nature across the 5 Southeast States for legitimate attention of SENEC– Coordinator – Prof. Okey Ibeanu

TOR of Study Sub-Committee• Review and examine existing knowledge and information on the workings and

performance of past and present regional economic commissions in Nigeria, Africa and across the world

• Examine experiences with regional economic commissions and the lessons for the proposed southeast economic commission

• Identify the possible vision, mission, purpose and objectives of the proposed commission

• Identify the possible structure, character and ownership of the proposed commission

• Identify the political, social, legal and institutional infrastructure and bases for the proposed commission

• Recommend appropriate institutional / legal framework and models for the southeast economic commission that will assure functionality, relevance impact, stability and sustainability.

To accomplish its TOR, the Study Sub-Committee Called for and Received Memoranda on Creation of SENEC– Identity and Ownership

– Vision and Mission

– Structure and Organization

– Legal and Institutional Models

– Roles and Functions

– Funding and Sustainability

– Any other relevant issue bordering on the nature, structure, functioning and prospects of the proposed Commission.

9th of February, 2007

Work of the Study Sub-Committee in the Preparation of the Framework Document

• Desk Reviews

• Analysis on Global Best Practices -Europe, Asia and Latin America

From 9 February 2007 – 28 August 2008

Regional economic clustering models reviewed from across the world

• THE VALLEY PARTNERSHIP JOINT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (VPJDA)

• REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT VICTORIA (RDV) (SOUTH AFRICA)

• NORTH-EAST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (NERDC) – UNITED STATES

• DUBAI DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT AUTHORITY (DDIA)

• THE SOUTH EAST ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (SEEDA)

• LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES (LEDAS) IN SOUTH AFRICA

SUBNATIONAL VARIANTS OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

International regional economic cluster models reviewed

• THE ECOWAS REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (ERDF)

• THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (EURDF)

Work of the Study Sub-Committee in the Preparation of the Framework Document • Expert Consultations• Targeted Interviews• Stakeholder Inputs & Feedback• Group Work-Sessions/Seminars

The Great Milestone! Publication of the Framework Document (Revised)

(Revised) Memorandum for the Establishment

of the

South-East Nigeria Economic Commission (SENEC)

28 August 2008 following 2 previous Drafts in January 2008 and April 2008

Throughout 2007 – 2008, the Work of the Study Sub-committee was supported by that of the Consultations Sub-Committee

• 31st March 2007 – Special Communication to the 5 Governors calling for participation in SENEC

• 18th January 2008 - Conclave with Governors of South East ‐States at Enugu focusing on the Draft Framework Document – SENEC delegation (Prof Eric Eboh, Engr Chris Okoye and Prof Ukwu I. Ukwu)

• 25th March 2008 - Communication with Churches, town unions and community based associations

• 31st March 2008 - Communication with Vice Chancellors of Universities in Five South East States

Still on Consultations…..

• 17th May 2008 - Meeting with Nominees of the Five Governments of the South East States at Enugu – ‐ Chief Agu Ojukwu (Abia), Chief Chris Okereke (Ebonyi), Dr. Jude Akubuilo (Enugu), Chief Eze Echesi (Anambra) and Chief Chuks Chukwuemeka (Imo)

• 24th June 2008 - Meeting with – Organized Private Sector at Enugu

Strategic Consultations continued….

• 4th July 2008 - Meeting with Nominees of the Five Governments of the South East States at Enugu‐

Still on consultations …….

• 10-11th July 2008: Meeting with Officials of the World Bank at Abuja

• 21st August 2008 – Follow-Up Meeting with Forum of Governors of South East States‐

• From Feb-Nov 2008 - series of teleconferences with and presentations to various Ndigbo Diaspora Associations– 100 Igbos in America– Council of Igbo Societies in America CISA – CISA Economic

Council– IWA – The newly created Igbo World Assembly – – World Igbo Congress.

Consultations …..• 28th October 2008: Meeting with Enugu Chambers of Commerce, Industry,

Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) at Enugu

• 30th October 2008: Participation of SENEC Team at the Conference of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) at Aba

• 27th November 2008: Joint Meeting of the Officials of Chambers of Commerce and Officials of South East States with World Bank/IFC Doing ‐Business Team at Enugu

• 4th 5th December 2008‐ : Participation of SENEC Coordinating Team in the SUN Newspaper 5th Anniversary South East Nigeria Economic Summit at ‐Owerri– In its Communiqué, the Summit commended the efforts of African Institute for

Applied Economics through the Interim Steering Committee for the establishment of the South East Nigeria Economic Commission (SENEC) and urged the Governors and State Houses of Assembly to expedite action on its successful take-off.

Consultations continued through 2009 ……

• 7th January 2009: Formal correspondences to State Government Nominees for the presentation of draft SENEC MoU to State Excos and Memos to State Houses of Assembly

• 20th January 2009: Consultative meeting with the Chairman, Forum of South-East Governors at Awka Government House

• 24th January 2009:Meeting with Representatives of Governments of South-East States held at AIAE

Sent call for memoranda to:

• Close to 500 groups, individuals, associations both in Nigeria and Diaspora

• Response rate was over 50%

The Big Milestone: Signing of the MoU by the Executive Governors

• Governor of Anambra State signed on 2nd March 2009• Governor of Abia State signed on 4th March 2009• Governor of Imo State signed on 25th October 2009• Governor of Enugu State signed on 20th November 2009

SENEC in the Press Reporting the Milestone Signing of MoU by the Governors

March, 2011

Daily Sun

The GuardianThe Vanguard

The CompassNigerian Tribune

Looking forward ….

• Effectuating the MoU (Instrument) to formally inaugurate the SENEC Government/Private-Sector/Civil Communities Partnership Model

Government

Civil Communities Private-Sector

• Making and Passing Legislations/Motions by the 5 State Houses of Assembly to guarantee legitimacy, ownership and sustainability

Looking forward ….

• Completing the Registration, Documentation & Inauguration

• Setting up the SENEC organs and take-off modalities

Acknowledgement and Gratitude!• His Excellencies, the Governors of the 5 South-East States

– For their encouragement and motivational guidance

• The 5 Nominees/Representatives of the Governments of South-East States– For their intellectual inputs and very vital intermediary roles between the governments and

the Steering Committee

• Executive Councils and Staff of the Chambers of Commerce in the Southeast States, especially the Enugu Chamber of Commerce– For mobilising the organised private sector and its members

• Sir Engr Chris Okoye, Chairman, SENEC Interim Steering Committee– For his outstanding personal material and financial sacrifices

• Prof Ukwu I. Ukwu – Coordinator, SENEC Study Sub-Committee – For his personal devotion to the SENEC initiative

Acknowledgement and Gratitude cont’d!

• Olisa Agbakoba, SAN – Coordinator, SENEC Sub-Committee on Legal Framework

• Prof. Herbert Orji – Coordinator, SENEC Sub-Committee South-East Nigeria Development Fund and other members

• Prof. Okey Ibeanu – Coordinator, SENEC Sub-Committee on Strategic Common Projects

• All groups, individuals, organisations and government agencies that submitted memoranda to the Study Sub-Committee

Acknowledgement and Gratitude cont’d!

Board of Directors, Staff and Associate Fellows of

– Worthy of mentioning that AIAE has since January 2007 borne the huge cost of organising, managing and coordinating the process for the establishment of SENEC which runs into millions of naira.

– In doing this, we are driven by our fervent desire to positively impact our immediate spatial catchment economic space, in addition to our acclaimed influence at the national and continental levels

Working together is the key to the success of SENEC!