Aba master plan: GADA’s brain child for future development of Aba
By Ogbonnaya Ikokwu
Abia, under the leadership of Gov. Alex Otti, has continued to witness polices that are repositioning the state for greater development and economi c growth. Having assumed office when Abia was in dire state of infrastructural decay, especially Aba, the commercial hub of the state, the governor and his team had devoted the past two years fashioning solutions to the huge infrastructure deficit.
In keeping to his promise to prioritise the reconstruction of roads, drainages and markets in Aba, the governor created the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) as a Especial Purpose Vehicle to consciously execute his social contract with the Aba community.
Arch. Uche Ukeje was appointed by the governor to sparehead the restoration of Aba, with a clear mandate to fast track its infrastructure rejuvenation, flood control, waste management and design a new master plan for further development of the commercial city.
The governor also signed the GADA bill into law in December 2023 in order to ensure that the agency can operate without any legal encumbrances. The role of GADA in driving home Gov. Otti’s vision to transform Aba to a major economic hub speaks for itself as the agency has carried out major reconstruction of roads in Aba.
In the light of the new epoch made possible through GADA, Gov. Otti earlier this month inaugurated
14 new road projects rehabilitated by his administration across Aba and its environs.
The inauguration of the chain of interconnected roads speak to Gov. Otti’s urban renewal agenda and commitment to the holistic restoration of the entire Aba urban corridor.
Again, GADA has announced plans to launch a 25-year Greater Aba Master Plan, a comprehensive and long-term document that will guide the future development of Aba, the Enyimba City.
GADA, through a collaborative effort with the UN-Habitat, has worked assiduously to develop the master plan, which is intended to reposition land-use and infrastructural expansion of Aba.
The master plan is designed to address road infrastructure, transportation, development and connectivity within Aba. It is also expected to deal with the economic development of Aba, create industrial zones, upgrades and formalization of commercial hubs within the city.
The document is expected to deal with sustainable development and planned urban expansion of Aba. The document will equally look into terrestrial resilience and flood management which, of course, have been the city’s perennial problem.
To ensure smooth implementation of the Aba master plan, the management of GADA has commenced a public engagement with relevant stakeholders from Aba business community, social groups, Christian and Muslim associations, traditional rulers councils from Aba North and South, Osisioma, Obingwa, and Ugwunagbo to intimate them with the impending innovation in the city.
As the 25-year Strategic Master Plan, which aims to guide the future development of the Greater Aba Region, is gradually getting to its implementation stage, Aba residents are expected to embrace it with open mind given that it is meant to promote the people’s living standard and their businesses.
#GovernorOttiIsBuildingTheNewAbia
#ToGodBeTheGlory
Ogbonnaya Ikokwu is a journalist and public affairs analyst writing from Umuahia.