By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), Dr. Ossy Onuko, has paid an international working visit to the headquarters of ACCIONA Group in Madrid, Spain, as part of efforts to deepen the ongoing implementation of the African Development Bank (AfDB)-backed African Cities Programme in Awka, Anambra State.
ACCIONA Group, the Spanish-based engineering and infrastructure company serving as lead consultant to the AfDB Cities Programme, hosted Onuko at its ACCIONA Campus in Madrid, where he engaged with senior executives and a team of urban development experts on contemporary approaches to sustainable city planning and transformation.
The visit forms part of the ongoing City Profiling and Workplan Development for Awka under the African Development Bank’s Urban and Municipal Development Fund Programme and represents another significant phase in the international technical engagement supporting the city’s long-term development framework.
Onuko was received by the Managing Director of ACCIONA Engineering, David Madrigal, alongside other members of the company’s urban development team.
The engagement further exposed the ACTDA CEO to deeper practical models, innovations and international best practices in the planning, management and development of modern cities, with particular attention to solutions that could be adapted to Awka’s emerging urban needs.
Among the key areas examined during the visit were water management, integrated waste management, waste-to-resource and renewable waste processes, mass housing development, road and bridge infrastructure, innovation and digital transformation, tourism, as well as the socio-cultural dimensions of sustainable city development.
The discussions also focused on how cities can build resilient and inclusive urban systems capable of responding to rapid population growth, infrastructure demands, environmental challenges and changing economic realities.
The Madrid engagement comes against the backdrop of the ongoing implementation of the African Development Bank (AfDB)-backed African Cities Programme in Awka, the capital city of Anambra State, which gathered a significant momentum in mid June when officials of ACCIONA and Spanish consultants arrived Awka and kicked off a series of strategic stakeholder engagements and extensive city-wide assessments aimed at laying the foundation for the city’s transformation into a modern, sustainable, smart and investment-ready city.
Awka was selected as the first and only Nigerian city to benefit from the highly competitive continental programme, which is designed to strengthen urban planning systems, build institutional capacity and support cities in developing bankable projects capable of attracting financing for sustainable infrastructure and economic development.
The programme is expected to culminate in the preparation of a comprehensive City Action Plan for Awka, providing a strategic framework and pipeline of bankable projects across critical sectors.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with this reporter on the significance of the Madrid engagement, Dr. Onuko described the visit as an important opportunity for Awka to learn directly from global urban development experience and translate relevant lessons into practical solutions for the capital territory.
He said the objective was not just to study how other cities operate, but to understand the systems, technologies and planning approaches that could be adapted to Awka’s peculiar circumstances.
According to him, the international engagement was particularly important because the challenges confronting rapidly expanding cities require deliberate planning, reliable data, modern infrastructure and innovative approaches rather than piecemeal interventions.
Onuko said the areas being examined were closely connected to the priorities already identified for Awka under the African Cities Programme, including mass housing, transportation, water supply, waste management, digital transformation, infrastructure, tourism and environmental sustainability.
He noted that the proposed interventions were intended to collectively address the needs of a growing capital city while creating an environment capable of attracting investments and improving the quality of life of residents.
The ACTDA Boss further said the ongoing partnership with the AfDB and ACCIONA represented an opportunity to place Awka’s urban development on a stronger technical and internationally informed footing.
He expressed optimism that the knowledge and experience being gathered through the engagements would contribute significantly to the development of a realistic and implementable roadmap for Awka’s transformation.
Onuko also linked the initiative to the broader vision of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration to build a liveable and prosperous homeland for Ndi Anambra, stressing that sustainable urban development must combine infrastructure with effective planning, environmental responsibility, economic opportunity and improved quality of life.
He said the ultimate objective was to ensure that Awka’s development into a smart mega city is not driven merely by physical expansion, but by a carefully coordinated system capable of supporting residents, businesses, investors and visitors.
