The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu, has partnered with the African Development Bank (AFDB) to launch an artisan training programme for 130 members of his constituency.
The artisan training programme will equip the 130 participants with the skills needed to be self-sufficient and useful in the state’s construction industry as trained artisans. It adds to the growing list of constituency initiatives initiated by Benjamin Kalu as he looks to extend the dividends of leadership to his people in Bende.
Earlier this year, Kalu touched on education in his constituency by providing free UTME registration for all qualified Bende Youths. Last year, he attracted and secured approval for the new Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences in Item, Bende.
On electricity, He set up a 1000KVA Solar project in his constituency as a substitute power source in the region.
Benjamin Kalu is running for reelection, seeking a third term as the member for Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State. He secured the APC ticket unopposed, winning the primary election across all 13 electoral wards of Bende Federal Constituency in May 2026.
He also doubles as a key APC figure in the state and was initially spearheading the campaign against an Otti second term in the state.
The partnership between the office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and the AFDB is the second major engagement the continental bank is having with the state.
Last year, the African Development Bank (AFDB), in Partnership with the Islamic Development Bank and the Abia State government, launched a $263.8 million infrastructure project aimed at boosting urban infrastructure in the cities of Aba and Umuahia.
