Dr. Cliff Ogbede

May this new month bring fresh opportunities, greater success, and even more reasons to celebrate.

Wishing you a productive and rewarding month ahead!

May this celebration bring peace, joy, good health, and blessings to you and your loved ones.

Eid Mubarak!

Yesterday, I had the honour of meeting with the Women of Distinction of Nigeria and Diaspora, a group deeply committed to addressing societal challenges, advocating for the rights of women, and driving impactful empowerment initiatives.

Their visit and expressed willingness to support the work we are doing at the South East Development Commission is both commendable and inspiring. I applaud their industry, vision, and unwavering dedication to building stronger communities and creating opportunities for women across society.

Partnerships such as these remind us that sustainable development is best achieved through collaboration, shared purpose, and collective action.

On behalf of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), I had the privilege of representing our Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Mark Okoye, at the funeral of Madam Esther Imaguomwanruo Idahosa (née Enabulele), beloved mother of the Deputy Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa.

Madam Esther passed away peacefully on April 8, 2026, at the age of 95, leaving behind a legacy of grace, strength, and impact.

We joined the government and people of Edo State to honor her remarkable life and stand in solidarity with His Excellency during this time of loss.

The SEDC leadership, Board, and staff extend their deepest condolences to the Idahosa family. We pray for the peaceful repose of Mama Esther’s soul and for God to grant the family the strength to bear this irreplaceable loss.

May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

As part of our efforts to strengthen the SEDC Agromechanisation Programme through strategic partnerships, our team recently carried out facility mappings and on‑site inspections at Numo Farms Ltd and Petros Farms in Imo State. These fact‑finding visits helped us understand what equipment and infrastructure are already in place, allowing us to identify which partnerships will have the greatest impact.

At the same time, In line with our vision to unlock the economic potential of rural communities through the proposed land development programme, the team also held productive stakeholder engagement sessions with the Ubichukwu Autonomous Community in Ngor Okpala LGA.

Why does this matter? Because building agro‑development facilities in rural areas does three essential things: it increases food production, creates local jobs, and builds lasting infrastructure that helps entire communities thrive.

Happy Birthday Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, PhD, CFR, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

On this special day, we celebrate a leader whose voice carries purpose and whose service reflects a deep commitment to progress, unity, and nation-building. Your role in advancing legislative impact, alongside your leadership in driving development and strategic transformation across the South East through the SEDC, continues to inspire confidence and hope.

Wishing you a truly distinguished and fulfilling year ahead.

Happy New Month! May this month bring you good news!

Today, I had the honour of representing the Managing Director of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) at the commissioning of the ACE-FUELS ElectroLab-X facility at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO). The Deputy Governor of Imo State, Her Excellency Lady Chinyere Ekomaru PhD, represented Governor Hope Uzodinma at the event.

This milestone represents a strategic investment in energy innovation, designed as a flagship platform for advanced research in battery systems, next-generation solar solutions, and industrial electrochemical applications.

For the SEDC, this facility is a vital enabler of regional competitiveness, bridging the gap between academic excellence and tangible economic value.

We commend the visionary leadership of Professor Nnenna Oti and Professor Emeka Oguzie for bringing this project to life. The presence of Alhaji (Dr.) Aliko Dangote as the commissioning authority further underscores the critical importance of aligning research with industrial enterprise.

To the students and researchers who will utilise this facility: this is your platform to solve real-world challenges and shape a prosperous future for the South East.

On behalf of the SEDC, I congratulate FUTO and the ACE-FUELS team on this remarkable achievement.

Wishing all our Catholic Mothers a blessed and joyful Mothering Sunday celebration.

It was an honour to chair the Opening Ceremony of the IAEA/NRCRI Regional Training Course on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Practices for Cassava Production in Africa, convened on Monday, 13th April 2026, in Abuja.

This training course, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in technical partnership with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), has brought together a distinguished group of researchers, biotechnologists, and policy development specialists from 14 African nations. They share a clear, evidence-based goal: to strengthen the resilience and productivity of cassava value chain across the continent in the face of growing climate uncertainty.

I was particularly pleased to affirm the strong alignment between this training and SEDC's flagship South East Agro-Development Programme. This connection reflects a vital shift from isolated research toward practical, large-scale agricultural transformation.

To the participants from across Africa: you are ambassadors of a new agricultural revolution. Your work, which is rooted in nuclear precision techniques is building a future where food security endures even in a changing climate.

The South East Development Commission reaffirms its unequivocal institutional readiness to deepen its trilateral cooperation with the IAEA and NRCRI. We stand prepared to facilitate the systematic dissemination and localization of these validated innovations throughout the South East.