As part of measures to institutionalize the Public Private Community Partnership, PPCP development model in the state, the Anambra State Government on Saturday met with the State Association of Town Unions, ASATU, to educate them on the SoluDozie Anambra initiative.
The sensitization programme, which held at the ASATU conference hall, Government House, Awka, was led by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Chiamaka Nnake.
During the meeting the ASATU members were taken through the details of the PPCP initiative, what their roles in driving the programme are and the expected benefits.
The PPCP approach, otherwise known as SoluDozie Anambra Initiative, is a model that is used to achieve sustainable development in which the three parties (public, private, and community efforts) jointly provide for a need of mutual benefit and provide maximum benefit to the wider community.
Speaking at the meeting, Commissioner Nnake said the idea behind meeting with the ASATU members was in realization of the fact that the Presidents-General are very crucial to driving the initiative, as the leaders of their communities.
According to her, under the initiative, the government is mobilizing Anambra people both at home and in the diaspora to see and appreciate the state of infrastructure and other amenities in their communities, so they can be part of the development in their communities.
Stressing that 98 percent of the resources of the state reside with the people, Nnake noted that the two percent that is with the government is grossly inadequate to drive the desired growth in the communities, hence the need to get the people to commit to supporting the development process in their communities.
“We are here to educate the PGs on what the government is doing. These PGs will be heading the Community Implementation Team and their inputs will be very critical for us.
“So, we want them to understand that we are doing this together and as such, support us build trust and empower the people to be part of this lofty initiative.
“We have discovered that many people want to support but they don’t know how. So, this initiative is to begin to show them what the situation is like in their communities so that they can do interventions where they have the capacity to do so.
“We are focusing on infrastructure, something the people can see, and we don’t see this ending because if we do it well, the communities can do a lot of things through it,” the Commissioner opined.
In his remarks, the National President of ASATU, Barr Titus Akpudo acknowledged that the PPCP initiative will help develop the communities faster, using the people’s resources but under government strict supervision.
He said; “It is a noble thing, which we commend the state government for envisioning and the town unions are excited about the initiative and will put their best to ensure that it succeeds.”
For Ichie Chika Mmuomaife, the ASATU leader, Anambra South Senatorial Zone, ASATU, what government is trying to do is to institutionalize a model which the people had adopted since.
This, according to him, is because communities in the state are known for actualizing noble programmes through self-help efforts.
“What is different now is that there is an element of trust due to the government’s supervision,” Mmuomaife said.
