Otti urges Igbo traders to shift from traditional markets to manufacturing

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has urged Igbo traders to move beyond conventional trading and embrace manufacturing and digital commerce to remain competitive in the global economy. Otti made the call at the Igbo Day Lecture and Dinner organised by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide in Umuahia. He said Abia and Ndigbo had historically been recognised for entrepreneurship and trading, but were now deliberately shifting towards production and technology-driven commerce.

The governor was responding to concerns about the growing presence of Chinese traders competing with Igbo entrepreneurs in retail businesses in Lagos. He said the appropriate response was not to remain at the same level of conventional trading, but to develop manufacturing capacity. “Igbos are leaving that level of trading,” Otti said, adding that markets remained important in Abia while the state moved towards manufacturing.

He also said entrepreneurs needed to adopt digital trading because that was the direction of the global economy. According to the governor, digital commerce would allow Abia businesses to compete internationally rather than depend solely on physical markets. He warned that businesses that failed to embrace the change risked being left behind.

Otti said his administration was investing heavily in digital skills for young people through its TechRise initiative. Some Abians trained under the programme were already working for global technology companies from Aba, he said. The governor also assured the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo of his administration’s support.

He described the theme of the celebration, “Njikọ Ka”, meaning “Unity is Supreme”, as appropriate because it reflected the importance of unity in diversity.