Abia State Governor, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti has announced that in the next few weeks, his government will roll out an integrated campaign to promote made in Aba products, especially Aba fashion and lifestyle accessories.

Governor Otti equally directed that every resource that is required to get the ENASCO facility running at full capacity be deployed immediately.

The Governor was speaking at the Enyimba International Stadium on Wednesday, April 29th, during the Graduation Ceremony of the 4,000 Trainees of the Cohort 3 & 4 of the Fashion Future Program – Showcasing Africa’s Creative Excellence, an initiative of Ethnocentrique and MasterCard Foundation in collaboration with Abia State Government.

The State Chief Executive said that the campaign would highlight the creative changes of the Abia local entrepreneurs.

“This campaign will highlight the creative changes of our local entrepreneurs and the extensive economic benefits of their offering over foreign competition.

“I’ve also directed that funds be allocated to develop and equip the production hubs around the State, especially in Aba.

“You can also be sure that the fashion industry will be a prime beneficiary, because we are mindful of our comparative advantage in this regard,” Gov. Otti stated.

Governor Otti expressed his profound gratitude to the CEO of Ethnocentrique Limited and the Mastercard Foundation and applauded the successful completion of the training culminating to the graduation ceremony.

“The successful graduation of our sons and daughters from the Fashion Future Program, FFT, delivered by Ethnocentrique Limited with support from MasterCard Foundation and the state government is a landmark progress.

“This initiative has proven to be a masterclass in talent incubation, business development and enterprise exposure. I am impressed with the structure, organisation and the hands-on delivery model.

“The most interesting thing for us is that FFT represents a preferred empowerment outlook, which targets the holistic development of the human faculties, expanding the capacity of the individuals to imagine, create and bring forth new ideas,” Gov. Otti stated.

While congratulating the 4,000 graduates of the 2026 Future Fashion Program (FFP), Governor Otti said that the choice of Aba for the programme, “speaks to the sincerity and commitment of the drivers of the initiative to make genuine impact, hone the skills of our young designers and set them up for dominance on the global fashion stage.

“It is indeed fulfilling that the project is looking beyond talent development, but on the entire value chain, from craft to the marketplace, boardroom to policy spaces, connecting dreamers, platforms and financiers,” Gov. Otti stated.

The Governor charged all the team members of the State Government in charge of the programme to remain attentive to the development of beneficiaries, saying that, their journey is only beginning and could be rough at some point.

Governor Otti further said that he would soon meet with the management of the Ethnocentrique Limited and the Mastercard Foundation to work on the possibility of expanding the programme from the initial 2000 to the 4000, and now to about 8000 and thanked Mrs Ejibe for the programme.

“This is one of the ways to engage our youth. This is one of the ways to ensure that unemployment is reduced, poverty level is reduced, the gross domestic product is increased and at the long run, the internally generated revenue of the government is increased.

“Thank you (Mrs Ejibe) for igniting us back in the minds of our young people, for giving them the platform to carry their dream forward.

“May we also use this opportunity to convey our gratitude to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for providing the technical guidance for the FFP through its skills qualification framework,” Gov. Otti stated.

The Country Director of MasterCard Foundation,
Rosy Fynn, while highlighting the economic importance of the programme, saluted Abia State Governor for his commitment to economic development and empowerment of his people.

She appreciated the partnership existing between MasterCard Foundation and the Ethnocentrique, saying that it is working.

Earlier, the CEO of Ethnocentrique Limited, Mrs Irunna Ejibe said that this year’s programme tagged, “Ahia 360” is an initiative not only to teach our young people how to produce locally made products, but to discover talents that would produce and ensure that their products are exported, and Aba and Abia State is recognised all over the globe.

Mrs. Irunna Ejibe, who thanked Governor Otti for providing the enabling environment and other logistics, appreciated the Mastercard Foundation for its support to make the programme a success. She also appreciated the graduands and described them as the economy of Aba, and not just beneficiaries

She noted that the People Living with Disabilities including people of special needs such as deaf and dumb individuals benefited from the training and are empowered to become economically independent.

The programme which attracted many dignitaries featured parades and showcase of the various cloths made by the beneficiaries.

Ctz. UKOHA, NJOKU UKOHA
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
April 29th, 2026.