▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎ “Imo’s conducive business climate and human capital made it easy~ Mrs. Kanayo Uwani, Afrexim Boss
By Iheanyi Enwerem
The Imo State Government, in partnership with the African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim Bank), has broken ground on a state-of-the-art African Quality Assurance Center along Imo Airport Road, Ngor Okpala LGA.
This groundbreaking initiative, inspected on May 19, 2025, by a joint team led by Chief Barr. Rex C. Anunobi, Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Investment, Dr. Bola Adigun, Technical Adviser to the Governor, and Mrs. Kanayo Uwani, Afrexim Bank’s Executive Vice President, promises to catapult African products onto the global stage with unparalleled quality and competitiveness.
The African Quality Assurance Center is a game-changer, offering cutting-edge testing, inspection, and certification services to ensure African goods meet rigorous international standards. By eliminating the costly and time-consuming need to send Nigerian products abroad for quality assurance, the facility will save millions while boosting efficiency.
Imo State’s strategic location, thriving oil and gas sector, rich agricultural heritage, and proximity to resource-rich regions make it the perfect home for this visionary project.
Mrs. Kanayo Uwani, Afrexim Bank’s Vice President, praised Imo State’s abundant resources and investor-friendly environment, crediting Governor Senator Hope Uzodimma’s infrastructure investments for making the state a magnet for projects like this. “Imo’s conducive business climate and human capital made it the ideal choice for this center,” she said, highlighting the bank’s commitment to empowering African trade.
Chief Barr. Rex C. Anunobi, equally elated, expressed delight at the project’s progress and urged the contractor to adhere to specifications and timelines. He painted a vibrant picture of Imo’s economic future, noting that the Quality Assurance Center, alongside the Orashi Free Trade Zone in Oguta, will ignite a commercial boom, creating thousands of jobs and positioning Imo as a hub of economic activity in the coming months. “This is a new dawn for Imo State,” he proclaimed, pledging the state’s unwavering support to ensure the project’s success.
Architect Obinna Ikeka, the site supervisor, radiated optimism during the inspection. He emphasized that the center will serve as a certification hub for agricultural and oil and gas products destined for global markets, particularly from Nigeria’s South East and South South zones.
Equipped with advanced laboratory facilities, the center will rigorously test raw materials and finished goods, ensuring they meet global standards and enhancing their value in international trade. “This facility will transform large quantities of raw materials into high-value finished products, significantly increasing Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings,” Ikeka declared, confidently assuring completion within a year.
The African Quality Assurance Center is more than a facility—it’s a bold statement of Africa’s readiness to compete globally. By fostering quality, innovation, and economic growth, Imo State is leading the charge toward a prosperous future, not just for Nigeria but for the entire continent. With construction racing toward completion, the world eagerly awaits the day this center opens its doors, heralding a golden era of African excellence.