CROS RIVER STATE GUBER ASPIRANTS, 2015 (2)

 PROFILE OF GERALD AGIM ADA

“I believe our greatest resource as a region is not in the amount of structures and infrastructures we have built so far, but in the quality of our Human capital Resource”

 Gerald Agim Ada was born on April 24^th 1965 at Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. He is the second son of his Parents, who were both teachers.

 He attended Primary Schools in Obudu and Ogoja Local Government Areas, after which proceeded to the prestigious Mary Knoll College, Okuku for the ordinary level and advance levels programmes and graduated with excellent performance. In his quest for knowledge and being driven by the zeal to succeed, Gerald gained admission to study in the University of Calabar, where he graduated in 1988 with a Bachelors of Science degreee in Physics and earned an award as the best graduating student in the Department and the entire Faculty of Science at the time.

 Mr Ada is a Chartered Banker having obtained the Associate membership of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria in 1998 and also holds an MBA and Post Graduate diploma in Management.

 His desire to share knowledge and talents with those in need based on his believe in the growth of the common man, took him to the classroom where he taught Physics, Mathematics and Further Mathematics at Government Secondary School in Obudu, an assignment he discharged seriously before proceeding to the College of Education as Assistant Lecturer in Physics. However, he continued to work towards the realization of his Destiny, when he joined the defunct Cross River State owned Mercantile Bank Ltd as a Management Trainee in 1991 and served the bank until the bank was closed down. Thereafter he joined Allstates Trust Bank and worked in Liberty Bank before joining Diamond Bank Plc, where he rose to the position of Group Head at the National Corporate Headquarters of Diamond Bank in Abuja. Again the clarion call for service returned him back to his fatherland for service as he took an appointment with the Cross River State Government in 2008 as Special Adviser, Investment Promotion.

 Under this capacity and through the activities of the department under his headship, he has contributed towards the enhancement of IGR to the tune of N3.5billion and has a commitment of about N4billion on the development of road infrastructure by a private sector player.

He has also attracted and managed the entry to our State of about $3billion worth of investments including 3 Fortune, 500 companies in General Electric, Wilmar International and Spar/Artee Retail chain.

Mr. Ada diligence in service created about 4,000 direct jobs within the last 4 years from the investors and another 5,ooo skilled jobs and 30,000 unskilled jobs in the Agricultural and manufacturing sectors, will develop over the next 5 years

He has Supported the training of staff in India through India Government ITEC scholarships and 15 Engineering graduates in NAPTIN, created the institutional framework of MEDA for the support and development of the MSME sector with N1billion collaborative funding, put in place another N2billion in the pipeline which has resulted in the creation of over 2,000 new businesses in the last 3 years, over 3,000 additional jobs and capacity building of over 10,300 persons across the State.

Mr. Ada also lead the efforts in securing the establishment of the CBN EDC for the South South region in Calabar and so far over 2,000 persons have been trained and about 200 new businesses and 240 new jobs have been created, while he developed the Project AWAKE, a women empowerment programme which has provided support of over 1,700 women across the State in the first phase with another 2,200 in view.

 He has coordinated the on-going development of a 2*26mw power gas fired captive plant for the State while leading the efforts in securing a $30billion funding from the Indian Eximbank Line of Credit for the plant while also coordinating the on-going development of the Songhai farm project in Abi Local Government Area, of which about 100 young persons have trained. Also, he is in the process of securing the funding arrangement for the completion of the project.

Gerald Coordinates the development of the portside Industrial park to serve tank farms developers in the State and generate revenue for Government, created support for 100 members of the National Association of Persons Living with Disability to be trained at the EDC with funding of their businesses being made available for them, created funding and training support for 100 members of the National Youth Forum Cross River State Chapter at the EDC.

He was part of the State government efforts in getting the FGN to award the contract for dredging of the Calabar Channel which will lead to the activation of the Seaport.  Mr Ada is currently working on the establishment of a 25ha Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Oil & Gas Industrial Park; working with NEPZA for the declaration of Greater Calabar as a Special Economic Zone  by the FGN; working on the establishment of a 10,000 ha Industrial Park driven by cement industry.

Mr Gerald Ada also serves as a member of the State Economic Management team, CROSPIL, IRS and Cross River State Privatization Council.

He is married and blessed with three children, two boys and a girl.