…Says Enugu Ready for Business

Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, has urged German and other foreign investors to take opportunities of the investment-friendly climate and investment opportunities in Enugu State.

Mbah who was the guest of honour and speaker at a dinner hosted in Lagos by the Consul General of Germany, Weert Bomer, to mark the 34 years of the reunification of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1990, noted that what a unified Germany had achieved economically, politically, and socially “stand as a bold indicator of the power of unity and true reintegration.”

While noting that Enugu City gained preeminence after the discovery of coal in vast quantities 115 years ago, the governor, however, said that nations and states could not continually revel in past glories, hence his administration’s determination to reinvent Enugu State and prevent it from falling out of the reckoning.

“When we sought the people’s mandate, we made a firm commitment to inspire a new socio-economic rebirth in Enugu that would be consistent with the old allure it once had.

“Enugu State may be a sub-national, but our vision and ambition are national in scale. Our goals include achieving a zero per cent rate in the poverty headcount index and growing the state’s GDP from its current $4.4 billion to at least $30 billion in four to eight years.

“To achieve the grand growth targets we had set, we recognised that a total overhaul of government policy framework was not a choice but an imperative.

“So, from the outset, we committed to an open governance philosophy, to be held to account at all times. This is important, because it helps build trust – both between the government and the people, and between the government and potential investors.

“The trust this has earned us is evident in the number of investments in Enugu State currently being implemented via the PPP model.

“We began quite early to dismantle the red tape – both human and institutional – which had long impeded growth, and left the state unable to attain its full potential. This entailed digitalising our processes from land administration to revenue collection.

“So, when we say ‘Enugu State is open for business’, it essentially underlines the importance of private capital and investments in our growth projections.v

“For us, investments do not have to seem like a leap of faith. That explains the several measures – backed up by laws – we have implemented to de-risk investments in Enugu State.

“We have also committed substantial resources towards enhancing security across Enugu State. The investment in security has helped us achieve statewide and real-time surveillance of our towns and communities, ensuring swift response to crime,” he stated.

Mbah also highlighted the efforts of the government to engender a total transformation of all the sectors, including education, health, water, and road infrastructure.

“So, Enugu’s many attractions will certainly appeal to potential German businesses, especially as the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Germany grow stronger,” he stated.