Abia State government has expressed its commitment to providing an environment conducive to investment in the state.

The state government is ready to fully support efforts by the developers of the Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC) in the state and to ensure the early commencement and completion of the facility.

This declaration was made by the Special Adviser to the state Governor, Alex Otti on Trade and Investment, Mr Nwaka Inem on Tuesday in Umuahia, the state capital while addressing the Joint Stakeholders of Aba Medicine Dealers Association.

The leadership of different markets in ABA were on a fact-finding mission to establish that the government has approved the development of CWC in the state.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Joint Stakeholders of Aba Medicine Dealers Association Mr Elvis Anoruo said that his team is committed to ensuring that the interests of members of the association are protected as the ongoing stakeholders meetings progress.

He expressed the hope that agreements could be reached in no distant time even as he said that he appreciates the quality of understanding prevalent at every stage of the stakeholder’s meetings.

The CWC is a concept by the Federal Government designed to ensure proper drug distribution and sale of drugs in Nigeria, and mitigation of substandard and falsified medicines usually associated with open drug markets.

There is no gain in saying the fact that this project comes with immense gains both for the traders and for the general public. The CWC will go a long way to provide reliable and affordable yet quality drugs to Abia people that will be very efficient and fitting for their needs.

“It is also bound to provide a whole lot of economic benefits including making available employment opportunities to skilled and unskilled people from all over the country, as well as helping to develop a framework whereby quality control is a key factor due to the presence of industry regulators.

CWC has come to replace open drug markets across Nigeria and that is why the Federal Government mandated Drug Dealers in Aba, Kano, Onitsha and Lagos to move to CWCs or risk shut down.

“Kano State is the first among the four to start off. Anambra State government says Drug Dealers in the popular head bridge, Onitsha will move to a CWC facility at Oba next year while the Lagos State government is currently at the advanced stages of completion of its CWC.

The CWC facility is designed to be a modern environment for wholesale dealerships in drugs and allied products. The facility will have internationally recommended equipment for storage of drugs, expansive shops for sale of drugs, standard warehouses, NAFDAC and PCN offices; a police post; standard parking space; loading and off-loading bay; and  24/7 electricity supply among numerous other facilities.