Mr Obiano signed on behalf of Anambra, while Mayor Dwayne Warren signed for the town at a ceremony held inside the City of Orange Municipal Building.

The agreement seeks to foster interaction between Anambra and the City of Orange in the areas of cultural exchanges, knowledge sharing and investments, among others.

Speaking after signing the agreement, Obiano described the ceremony as a historic moment for both parties.

“Anambra is the 10th most populous state in Nigeria with a population of 6.5 million people and a population density of 860 people per square kilometer.

“In the past five years, we have been Nigeria’s safest state with crime rate at the lowest in living memory.

“It is no exaggeration to say that Anambra State is the best place to locate an industry in Nigeria at the moment.

“We have one of the highest literacy rates in the country. We offer access to the largest retail market in West Africa.

“We have the largest crop of experienced middlemen and suppliers with enough expertise to move goods across Africa,” he said.

Mr Dwayne said the agreement was about how the city and the state could partner culturally, economically and technologically to make life better for their communities.

“The City of Orange is happy for this day; we have talked about doing relationships with other countries and states abroad.

“When Anambra state came forward and had some interest in trying to exchange cultural ideas, it became something that we had to do,” he said.