ABIA STATE AMONG SIX STATES TO BENEFIT FROM THE EUROPEAN SOLAR FOR HEALTH PROJECT WORTH OVER TWO MILLION EUROS 13-05-25
By Sadiq Aminu. Abia state government is to benefit from the European Solar for Health project mapped out for six states across Nigeria worth over two million Euros.
Briefing newsmen on the outcome of this week’s Executive council Meeting at the Government House Umuahia, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, said the state government would contribute six hundred and twenty four thousand euros to put up the project in the state.
According to Prince Kanu, the Solar for Health project is to be launched next week in the state.
The Commissioner also announced that the State Government has signed a six point Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with a giant telecom industry in the country to position the State as a digital hub in Africa.
He explained that the aim of the strategic partnership was to ensure 100% broadband coverage across the State stressing that the key provisions in the MoU include a device ownership scheme for Civil Servants, Digital Governance Infrastructure, a Digital Mall for SMEs, rollout of 4G/5G services in key cities, and the creation of a State-owned Digital Marketplace.
He noted that the partnership would allow people in the hinterlands including farmers to conduct their business remotely, leveraging technology.
Contributing, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Mr Ikechukwu Monday said the Solar for Health is an EU initiative of using renewable energy to power health facilities and other productive users around those health facilities.
For his part, the General Manager Abia state Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA Mr Ogbonnia Okereke said the state government has introduced Biogas technology initiative for meat processing such as Kanda or kpomo in abattoirs in the state starting with Lokpanta cattle market.
The ASEPA Manager explained that the introduction of the Biogas plant would immensely address the hazardous method of meat roasting system in abattoirs in the Southeast with disused tyres noting that such measure would help to reduce health challenges associated to this life threatening practice.