….Says Enugu is open for Global Business
Governor of Enugu state, Dr Peter Mbah has sought a deeper relationship with Chinese investors, urging them to establish a China Town and situate their Companies’ headquarters in Enugu State to help the state actualise it’s dream of being a leading commercial and industrial hub in the country.
He made the call on Friday when he received in audience , a delegation from the People’s Republic of China, comprising the Consul- General , Ms Yan Yuqing and top executives of leading Chinese construction and engineering firms, the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) who paid him a courtesy visit in his office at Government House,Enugu.
Wooing investors to the state, the Governor said Enugu was fully prepared to host large-scale foreign investments.
He emphasized that his administration had laid strong foundations for ease of doing business, including improved security, critical infrastructure development, and investor-friendly policies.
“We have taken deliberate steps to create an enabling environment where businesses can thrive seamlessly. From road infrastructure to smart schools, digital economy initiatives, and urban renewal projects, Enugu is undergoing a transformation that aligns with global investment standards,” he said
Mbah also highlighted ongoing flagship projects, including the development of a modern transport system, expansion of road networks, and the establishment of smart green schools across the state, saying, “Our goal is to grow Enugu’s economy to a $30 billion GDP and position it as a leading destination for investment, innovation, and enterprise. Partnerships like this are critical to achieving that vision”.
Speaking on Enugu state’s partnership with China, Governor Mbah said, they were partnering with China on technology, expressing joy with the partnership.
“We’re happy to be partnering with a Chinese company in the development of the new city, the CCCC, China Communication Construction Company. So we have also visited their headquarters in Beijing, and we believe that it’s a company with the capacity to meet our desire for a new city. And if just two months ago, we also had the Haier Group.
“Haier Global is a tech company, and we just commissioned a factory that was set up here by Haier, working together with the Enugu state government to produce digital devices, build tricycles, solar, domestic appliances, smartphones. We’ve procured several of our digital equipment from them, the smart schools, the one you visited yesterday. We have an ICT hub and an e-library.
“So Smart school will be equipped with 86 desktop computers, and we’ve procured about 26,000 desktop computers. The interesting thing is that the tablets and all the other digital items being procured from Haier are produced here. So we manufacture them here, not just the assembly, but also some of the components are built here and the interesting thing about the relationship is also the technology transfer, because as part of the agreement over the years, they’re going to be training our people from the technical college to that manufacturing factory. And over time, the idea is that these things will be built by our people. So we think that it’s a special relationship, a relationship that is not thinking just about having Enugu as the consumer, but also having Enugu as the producer.
“So five years, we believe that we were not just going to be consuming technology, but we’re also going to be producing with this sort of strategic partnership we have with the Haier group. That relationship is bound to expand, and we’re looking forward to the expansion because they are coming to even build a bigger factory. I met with their VP some months back, and they assured us of giving them a land somewhere in Enugu here, where they plan to do a much bigger factory and produce a lot of other things from here.
Speaking on transportation, Governor Mbah said ,
We are of course looking at building a rail line. We are, I think, the first rail line, one of the early rail lines in this country, was built here in Enugu. Here was a major terminal where the rail line was built in 1911 from here to One, 230 kilometers.
“We’re hoping that, I think, CCECC is working with the federal government to now run the old rail line. They are revamping it now. I think they stopped at Aba, but with the recent discussions we’ve had with the federal government, they’re going to find money to extend it to Enugu because that’s when it becomes viable if you’re able to get it to Enugu.
“We have quite a lot of mineral resources that we can transport from here to export through the ports in One. Recently we also got the concessioning of the airport. It’s the only successful concessioning of airports that have taken place in the history of Nigeria”
Governor Mbah spoke on plans to develop the aviation sector said,
“We’re very pleased with that and our hope is to get the international wing of the airport fully operational by the end of the year and also to have the cargo terminal built, a brand new cargo terminal with the apron. We hope that that would enable us to operate direct flights from here to China. We’re looking at having a direct flight to Guangzhou and other cities in China and we’re also open to discussion with Chinese airlines for partnership.
“We’re looking at partnership with a Chinese airline and indeed other strategic airlines. We are of course looking at ways to deepen our relationship in the area of culture. That’s something that we were working on”
He also spoke on building a China Town in Enugu, saying, ” I think there’s been some proposal even from CCCC on that which we want to obviously take up. We believe that we should deepen that relationship and I think even having you site your China Town here would strengthen that bond. If we can have the China Town, we know all that comes with it.
“So we look forward to when we will break ground for the China Town. The land won’t be a problem. CCCC is here, the government of Enugu is here, we’re happy to provide land to just tell us when you’re coming to start that.
“We also expect that some of the Chinese businesses would have their headquarters here because we have a warm relationship with China and I think it should be strengthened by these companies operating from here. Enugu is safe, Enugu is friendly, Enugu is warm and just as you have confirmed, Enugu is clean. The new city is bound to be the most beautiful and the best city in this country.”
On the construction of new Enugu Smart City Governor Mbah said,
“We’re doing it with world-class standard in terms of the infrastructure. So it is just the same thing you would find in cities like Dubai, you know, London and of course Abuja. You know, so beautiful, no open drainage, all the electricity is buried underground.
“The sewage is a central sewage system. There’s a pipe on water, the electricity will be provided 24-7. You’re going to have your fiber optic cable, you’re going to have your gas pipe.
“So it’s the same standard you’ll find in any modern city. It’s going to be well designed with your pedestrian walkway, the bridge and all that. So we expect that this city would attract major Chinese companies to come and site their headquarters here and to operate also from here.
“So we’re looking forward to strengthening our relationship with our Chinese partners and we’re also open. So when we say Enugu is open for business, it’s not just a platitude, it’s something we believe in, it’s something we’re convinced you know about and we just don’t welcome investors. We work with them to see how the partnership can work.
“So we work with these investors, we know how we can help de-risk the investment and we work with them to make it possible. So we go the extra mile to bring or to work with the investors so we can make a handsome return and thereby generate employment, create wealth and hopefully we can achieve our target of a 30 billion dollar economy by 2031. But yeah, we expect all that to come from the private sector’, Governor Mbah said..
Speaking, the Consul-Genetal, Ms Yan Yuqing expressed Chinese’s strong interest in deepening economic ties with Enugu state.
She noted that Enugu’s development vision aligns with China’s global investment outlook.
“We are impressed with the governor’s vision and the rapid transformation taking place in Enugu. There is clear potential for collaboration in infrastructure, transport, housing, and industrial development,” she
said.
