By ARIT OTONG UBOK

Akwa Ibom’s 2027–2031 Development Plan: Building a Long-Term Roadmap for Inclusive Growth

AKWA Ibom State is taking steps towards a more coordinated approach to development, with government officials, economic experts and local government chairmen rallying behind a proposed five-year development plan covering 2027 to 2031.

The initiative, championed by Governor Umo Bassey Eno, seeks to establish a long-term framework for setting development priorities, allocating limited public resources and ensuring that projects reach communities across the state.

At a stakeholders’ roundtable in Uyo on Thursday 29 October 2026, chairmen of the 31 local government areas endorsed the vision and pledged to contribute to the preparation and implementation of the plan.

The meeting, organised by the Foundation for Economic Research and Training (FERT), brought together state commissioners, local government leaders and members of the consulting team led by Emeritus Professor Akpan Hogan Ekpo.

Beyond the expressions of support, however, the discussions exposed the central questions confronting the initiative: how should the state prioritise competing needs, distribute available resources, prevent project abandonment and ensure that successive administrations respect an agreed development roadmap?

From Annual Budgets to a Longer Development Vision

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mkpisong Frank Archibong, praised Governor Eno for pursuing a development framework that extends beyond the immediate political and administrative cycle.

He argued that the governor’s Arise Agenda 1.0 had already contributed to the state’s growth. Nevertheless, he described the proposed five-year plan as an opportunity to consolidate those gains and establish a more consistent direction for development.

According to Archibong, the involvement of all 31 local government areas demonstrates the administration’s interest in distributing public resources more equitably.

He maintained that the state could not achieve balanced development without incorporating the needs and contributions of its grassroots institutions.

Consequently, his ministry pledged full support for the consultants and promised to provide the necessary assistance throughout the process.

Archibong also expressed confidence in Professor Ekpo and his team, describing their assignment as important to the state’s long-term development ambitions.

The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Nsikan Linus Nkan, similarly welcomed the initiative. He said the framework presented at the meeting strengthened his confidence that the project would produce a useful roadmap.

Nkan particularly commended Professor Ekpo for bringing personal commitment and patriotism to the assignment. He argued that the economist’s involvement went beyond professional obligations and reflected a desire to contribute to the development of his home state.

More importantly, the commissioner explained that long-term planning would help government move beyond the limitations of annual budgeting.

A five-year framework, he noted, would allow the state to evaluate its economic potential, identify priority sectors and determine which projects it could realistically finance.

In that way, government could make decisions based on available resources rather than political pressure or competing demands.

Why Limited Resources Require Clear Priorities

Presenting the economic rationale behind the initiative, Professor Emmanuel Onwioduokit, a member of the FERT team, identified two fundamental reasons for preparing a development plan.

First, public resources are limited. Therefore, government must determine which projects deserve priority and which interventions can deliver the greatest benefits to the population.

Second, certain essential services fall within the category of public goods. These are services that private businesses may not provide adequately because they cannot easily recover their investments or exclude non-paying beneficiaries.

Public infrastructure and essential community services therefore require deliberate government intervention.

According to Onwioduokit, the development plan will provide a framework for deciding which projects should come first, when they should be executed and how communities can benefit over the five-year period.

He explained that the intention was to distribute development across communities rather than concentrate projects in a few locations.

For example, a community could identify a school, hospital, electricity project or other essential infrastructure as a priority for a particular year. Once the schedule becomes clear, residents in other areas would have a better understanding of when their own needs might receive attention.

Such transparency, he argued, could reduce unnecessary agitation and encourage communities to appreciate the wider development programme.

The proposed framework will contain five major components: development context and strategic direction; a review of the state’s development from 2023 to 2026; fiscal and socioeconomic diagnostics; vision and mission; and strategic pillars.

Its priority sectors include agriculture, industrialisation, rural prosperity, small and medium-scale enterprise development, tourism, the digital economy and innovation.

Education, skills development, healthcare, housing and public infrastructure will also feature prominently.

Together, these sectors are intended to provide a broad foundation for economic expansion, employment opportunities and improved living conditions.

Bringing the 31 Local Governments Into the Process

A major feature of the initiative is the decision to incorporate local government perspectives into the state development framework.

Professor Ekpo, FERT’s lead consultant, explained that the executive arm of the state government had already contributed to the preparation process. However, he stressed that local governments must also participate because they constitute the third tier of government and remain essential to grassroots development.

He argued that a state development plan would be incomplete if it ignored the needs and development priorities of individual local government areas.

Rather than treating local governments as passive recipients of state projects, the consultants intend to obtain information from communities across the 31 councils.

To achieve this, FERT will train representatives nominated from the wards. These representatives will help administer questionnaires and collect information required to develop a comprehensive picture of the state’s needs.

Professor Ekpo, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo and former Director-General and Head of Mission of the West African Institute of Financial and Economic Management, said the approach would help residents understand what government intends to provide and when.

He also explained that local governments could prepare their own development plans within the broader state framework.

In his view, the state could coordinate development across the entire territory while individual councils identify and pursue priorities across their respective wards.

That arrangement would make it easier to connect local needs with state-level planning.

Local Government Chairmen Seek Continuity Beyond Their Tenures

The local government chairmen welcomed the initiative but also raised concerns about its duration and the likelihood of successive administrations implementing its provisions.

The Chairman of Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, Rt. Hon. Asuakak Umoh, described the plan as an opportunity to make grassroots development more sustainable.

However, he proposed extending the planning period to at least ten years. Such a timeframe, he argued, would allow three successive local government administrations to operate within the same development framework.

He expressed optimism that a legally backed plan would discourage incoming chairmen from abandoning projects initiated by their predecessors.

Umoh also recommended including local government legislators in subsequent consultations. Their participation, he said, would help secure legislative backing and strengthen implementation.

The Chairman of Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, Hon. (Engr.) Emmanuel Inyang, also supported the proposal. Citing the experience of Lagos State, he argued that a structured development framework could accelerate Akwa Ibom’s growth.

He equally called for a longer planning horizon.

Similarly, the Chairman of Eket Local Government Area, Rt. Hon. Akaninyene Tommey, described the five-year period as a useful starting point.

Nevertheless, he emphasised the need to educate local government civil servants about the purpose and value of development planning.

Without that understanding, he warned, senior officials might resist projects simply because the chairman who proposed them was approaching the end of his tenure.

He argued that civil servants should recognise that approved projects belong to a continuing development programme rather than the personal ambitions of an individual officeholder.

Aligning Community Needs With Available Resources

The discussions also addressed how the proposed plan would accommodate demands already identified during the government’s Town Square Meetings.

The Chairman of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, Hon. Aniefiok Nkom, urged the consultants to consider projects contained in the existing NEEDS assessment reports.

However, Professor Ekpo clarified that not every identified need would automatically enter the final development plan.

Some proposals may already have received funding through the annual budget, while others may not qualify as immediate priorities.

The distinction, he explained, is that a needs assessment identifies what communities want, whereas a development plan examines how government can meet those demands.

That process requires an assessment of available resources, competing priorities, implementation challenges and the time required to deliver each project.

Dr Godwin Essang Esu, another FERT team member, reinforced the distinction.

He explained that the NEEDS assessments reflected priorities identified by stakeholders within particular local government areas and federal constituencies. A development plan, however, must go further by establishing the financial and institutional arrangements required to address those needs.

Therefore, the two documents should complement rather than contradict each other.

He argued that the development plan would give identified community needs a structured implementation pathway.

Contingencies, Accountability & Legislative Oversight

Another major concern raised during the meeting was the possibility of unexpected economic developments disrupting the proposed programme.

The Chairman of Oruk Anam Local Government Area, Elder Sunday Festus, urged the consultants to provide adequate room for contingencies and unforeseen circumstances.

In response, Professor Ekpo explained that a credible development plan must accommodate economic shocks and changing national or international conditions.

He cited conflicts and other global developments that could affect economic performance, public revenue and the cost of projects.

Consequently, he said, the plan would not be rigid or permanently fixed. Government could review its priorities periodically and make adjustments when necessary.

However, he cautioned against using flexibility as an excuse for arbitrary spending.

He illustrated the point with a hypothetical situation in which a chairman promises a borehole during a burial ceremony, even though the project does not appear in the approved plan or budget.

Without an appropriate contingency provision, such a decision could create financial and administrative problems.

The Chairman of Udung Uko Local Government Area, Hon. Godwin Okon, meanwhile, stressed the need for a watertight framework that addresses poor accountability, political interference and weak monitoring.

Professor Onwioduokit assured the chairmen that accountability, transparency, monitoring and evaluation would receive attention in the proposed document.

He disclosed that the framework would establish procedures for periodic implementation reports. The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning would also appear before the State House of Assembly to explain progress and account for projects that had not been implemented.

Furthermore, he said the plan would be made publicly accessible through the internet, allowing citizens to monitor government commitments.

Professor Ekpo added that once the plan receives legislative approval, any necessary changes would have to follow the appropriate process.

Dr Esu similarly explained that legislative approval would give the document legal force, while subsequent adjustments would require the legislature’s consideration.

Turning Stakeholder Support Into Measurable Results

The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning reassured the chairmen that the plan should outlive their individual tenures.

He argued that local government development would contribute directly to the overall progress of the state. Therefore, no council could be excluded from the planning process.

Professor Onwioduokit also maintained that development plans must survive the administrations that prepare them.

He explained that the participation of stakeholders, including civil society organisations, would help establish wider ownership and encourage successive governments to continue with agreed priorities.

Professor Okon J. Umoh, another member of the FERT team, commended the state leadership and local government chairmen for their cooperation.

He attributed Akwa Ibom’s development prospects partly to the unity of purpose among its leaders and assured stakeholders that FERT remained committed to producing a framework that would accelerate development in rural communities.

The roundtable ended with the endorsement of Governor Eno’s vision and a commitment by the 31 local government chairmen to participate in the process.

Yet, the significance of the initiative will ultimately depend on what happens after the consultations.

The proposed framework must secure the necessary legislative backing, reflect credible community priorities, align projects with available revenue and establish transparent mechanisms for measuring performance.

Equally important, successive administrations must demonstrate the political will to respect its provisions.

For Akwa Ibom, therefore, the 2027–2031 development plan represents more than another government policy document. It offers an opportunity to establish a common development direction across the state.

Whether that opportunity translates into lasting improvements in infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, employment and rural prosperity will depend on the quality of the final plan and the discipline with which government implements it.