By Tony Okafor
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), Dr. Ossy Onuko, has engaged urban development experts at ACCIONA Group in Madrid, Spain, as part of efforts to shape a sustainable and future-ready development framework for Awka.
ACCIONA Group, the lead consultant to the African Development Bank (AfDB) Cities Programme, hosted Onuko at its Madrid campus as part of the ongoing City Profiling and Workplan Development for Awka under the AfDB’s Urban and Municipal Fund Programme.
The engagement is designed to expose the agency’s leadership to global innovations, practical solutions and best practices in modern urban planning and sustainable city development.
Discussions during the visit focused on critical areas of urban development, including water and waste management, waste-to-resource initiatives, renewable waste processes, mass housing, road and bridge infrastructure, innovation and digital transformation, tourism, as well as the socio-cultural dimensions of city development.
Onuko was received at the ACCIONA Campus by the Managing Director of ACCIONA Engineering, David Madrigal, alongside a team of urban development experts.
The discussions centred on practical strategies for developing resilient, sustainable, inclusive and future-ready cities, with particular attention to approaches that could be adapted to Awka’s emerging urban development needs.
The engagement is part of a broader effort to develop a strategic framework for the sustainable growth and transformation of Awka, which is undergoing rapid urban expansion and increasing demands for infrastructure and municipal services.
The exercise is also expected to provide ACTDA with access to international expertise and experience in areas ranging from urban infrastructure and environmental management to housing, digital innovation and sustainable resource utilisation.
The initiative aligns with the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of building a “Liveable and Prosperous Homeland for Ndi Anambra,” with Awka, the state capital, expected to play a central role in the state’s urban transformation agenda.
The implementation phase of the AfDB-supported African Cities Programme in Anambra State officially commenced some months ago, following an earlier visit to Awka by officials of ACCIONA, the Spanish consulting firm appointed by the bank as the programme’s technical partner.
The delegation was led by ACCIONA’s Deputy Project Leader, Elisa Maceratini, and Environmental Specialist, Carolina Ferrandi. They were accompanied by Tpl. Kabi Yari, City Coordinator and Urban Development Specialist, and Onyinye Egbuna.
