THE BONNY MASTER PLAN
Bonny Kingdom is home to Africa’s largest liquefied natural gas plant (NLNG), one of Africa’s largest export terminals (SPDC Bonny Oil Terminal), and Exxon Mobil’s Natural Gas Liquids Project / Fractionation Plant. This unique positioning has not only increased the community’s strategic importance but has also spurred economic and infrastructural development in the area.
Bonny Kingdom has gone quite some distance in its evolution to a modernized society. However, this growth has neither been broad based nor inclusive as socioeconomic indicators (especially employment, health, & education) have remained low. It has become imperative to embark on a very coordinated effort to identify gaps to holistic growth, address the challenges and harness opportunities accordingly – the Bonny Kingdom Master Plan.
In 2001, a Master Plan was developed for Bonny Kingdom to help achieve sustainable and orderly development. Despite this efforts, Bonny Island continued to grapple with various socio-economic challenges. Twelve years later (2013), a Pan-Bonny Sustainable Development Conference was held to chart a new direction for Bonny’s socio-economic growth. One of the resolutions at the conference was to update the existing Master Plan to address the developmental aspirations and current realities of Bonny Kingdom
The updated Bonny Kingdom Master Plan is an exciting articulation of a future state for the entire community. It has a planning horizon of 26 years (2014 – 2040) and is designed to spur incremental and sustainable development across the Kingdom.
The Future of Bonny Kingdom: community-developed envisioning statements:
- The presence of high quality, easily accessible and affordable social amenities across Bonny Kingdom (Educational system; healthcare; infrastructure – access to stable power and potable water, efficient transportation network, etc.)
- A strong employment base creating jobs for the teeming population (particularly the Bonny Kingdom youths) through the development of a highly diversified and vibrant economy primarily driven by the non-oil sector
- An investment friendly community (with favorable incentives and a conducive environment for businesses to thrive) primarily geared towards the creation of an industrialized community
- A well-developed aquaculture industry with large-scale capital investments in the production and processing of sea foods ensuring Bonny Kingdom attains self-sufficiency as well as become a net exporter to markets within Nigeria and beyond
- A major premier tourist destination in the Niger Delta region attracting visitors from across various parts of the country and beyond leveraging its huge cultural heritage; expansive shorelines and biodiversity
- A thriving maritime industry with a recognized seaport equipped with state-of-the art facilities capable of generating significant revenue and business opportunities for Bonny Kingdom
- An environmentally sustainable community capable of effectively balancing ecological and economics priorities to drive development in Bonny Kingdom – to create a community with minimal adverse effects to the environment