Less than two months afterwards, the former Eastern Region attempted to secede in the three-year long Nigerian Civil War with Ebonyi as a part of the secessionist state of Biafra.

[5] Economically, Ebonyi State is based around agriculture, mainly of yams, rice, oil palm, and cassava crops.

A key minor industry is mining due to lead, zinc, and limestone deposits around Abakaliki, and locally hand-made baskets of various sizes at Ntezi.

[6] Ebonyi has the joint-twentieth highest Human Development Index in the country and numerous institutions of tertiary education.

[10] In 2021, three other Universities were introduced by Governor David Umahi, Aeronautical Engineering and that of Technology in Ezza and Izzi Local Government Areas (LGA), and King David University of Medical Science, Uburu, Ohaozara LGA, Ebonyi State.

[16] In 1999, Dr. Sam Ominyi Egwu was elected as the first governor of the state under the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

It is a leading producer of rice, yam, potatoes, maize, beans, and cassava, and have a notable basket market in Nigeria.

The state government has, however, given some incentives to investors in the agro-allied sector to encourage production but capacity remains largely under utilized.

Ebonyi state is known for its trademark concrete roads and multicolored infrastructure, began by former governor Dave Umahi.

They are: Afikpo, Mgbo, Izzi, Ezaa, Edda, Ikwo, Kukele, Legbo, ohofia-agba, Mbembe, Okposi, Uburu.