Participants at the Benue 2035 Economic Transformation, Capital Formation and Prosperity Summit have been charged by Governor Hyacinth Alia to craft practical strategies that can draw investment, generate jobs and lift the living standards of residents across the state.
Alia issued the charge in his opening remarks at the Fr. Alia Conference Hall, SEMA, Makurdi, insisting that the summit must yield clear decisions, measurable outcomes and implementable guidelines rather than another report left to gather dust.
With the theme: “Benue 2035 -From Potential to Prosperity: Building a $5 Billion Investment Platform for Job Creation, Prosperity and Global Competitiveness,” the summit brought together political and economic leaders, investors, financial institutions, development partners, entrepreneurs, innovators, academics, Accelerators, technology leaders, and private-sector executives to develop a shared economic vision and practical investment roadmap for Benue.
In a statement on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, the Governor said Benue already possessed the human capacity and natural resources needed to build a prosperous society.
“Potential, by itself, does not transform a society. It must be converted into opportunity, opportunity into investment, investment into productive activity, and productive activity into jobs, incomes and improved quality of life,” he told participants.
According to the governor, the summit was designed to move Benue “from potential to prosperity” by setting investment priorities and execution strategies that would guide the state’s long-term development.
He urged attendees to think boldly, question existing assumptions, draw lessons from successful models elsewhere, and identify what could realistically work within Benue.
“You were not invited here merely because of the offices you occupy or the positions you hold. You are here because of your knowledge, experience, perspective and capacity to contribute meaningfully to the future of Benue,” he said.
Alia stressed that his administration was not seeking a debate on whether Benue should pursue development, attract private capital, modernize government, create jobs, improve security and expand its productive economy.
Those objectives, he said, had already been settled, leaving participants with the task of determining how to achieve them “farther, faster and better.”
The summit is organized around nine focus areas: governance and execution; security and justice; capital formation and fiscal sustainability; economic development and investment; agriculture and rural prosperity; infrastructure, power and logistics; human capital development; technology and artificial intelligence; and productivity and citizen experience.
Alia noted these areas were deeply interconnected, pointing out that agriculture cannot thrive without security, businesses cannot be productive without reliable power and infrastructure, and investment cannot flourish without confidence.
He called on participants to bring forward proposals that were ambitious yet realistic, innovative yet implementable, and clearly tied to job creation and household prosperity, urging them to weigh every proposal against two questions: whether it would protect the people and whether it would offer them a genuine pathway to a better life.
“If a proposal does neither, then we must honestly ask ourselves why the Government should commit its limited time, energy and resources,” he said.
The governor disclosed that the summit would conclude with an executive review, strategic alignment and approval process, moving participants from ideas to choices and from choices to action and measurable results.
Acknowledging that the summit falls within a campaign season, Alia urged participants to place Benue’s long-term interests above partisan politics.
“The next election matters, but the future and prosperity of Benue matters more,” he said, adding that the state’s development agenda must outlast any single election cycle, administration or individual.
He closed by expressing confidence that the summit would produce recommendations capable of making a real difference in the lives of Benue residents.
