Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday launched a 25- year development blueprint for the South East, saying the region is a central pillar of the country’s economic future.

He also announced that President Bola Tinubu had approved the establishment of the South East Investment Company Limited, designed to mobilise resources from the diaspora, capital markets, and development finance institutions for the region’s development.

Speaking during the South-East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders’ Forum in Enugu, the VP said the gathering was a decisive break from short-term governance cycles toward a structured, multi-decade development framework.

Shettima said: “This forum reflects foresight, responsibility, and a shared understanding that the future is not something we wait for, but something we must deliberately design.

“In recognition of the distinctive character of the South East, its entrepreneurial spirit, its global diaspora, and its long-standing relationship with international capital, President Tinubu approved the establishment of the South East Investment Company Limited.”

According to him, the company will work with the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) to address post-war infrastructure gaps and drive long-term regional competitiveness.

Shettima reaffirmed that the SEDC was conceived to focus on structural transformation rather than routine administrative activity, insisting that Nigeria is strongest when its regions thrive. He said: “This is not another layer of bureaucracy.

It is a delivery institution, focused on tangible outcomes that translate into jobs, productivity, and growth.” The VP praised the inclusive nature of the forum, which brought together federal and state governments, traditional institutions, the private sector, civil society, and development partners.