A civil society organisation, the Enugu Good Governance Group, E-3G, has commended the governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on the successful hosting of the inaugural Enugu State Investment and Economic Growth Stakeholders Roundtable, saying it was an indication that the state was on course to a $30 billion economy in the next four to eight years.
Recall that the event, which the governor described as one of the roundtables in preparation for the first fully transactional Enugu State Diaspora and Investment Summit scheduled for April 2024, held in Enugu at the weekend, drawing participants from the diplomatic community, major development financiers and partners, domestic financial institutions as well as domestic and international investors, among others.
Notable among the participants were the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Jonny Baxter; World Bank Nigeria Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri; the Regional Chief Operating Officer, African Export-Import Bank, (AfriExim), Eric Itong; Chief Economist and Vice President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Kevin Urama; Deputy Director, Investment, the United Kingdom Department for Business and Trade, Morayo Adekunle, and Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company, Chinua Azubuike.
Appraising the initiative on Sunday, the Enugu Good Governance Group (E-3G) in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Odinaka Okechukwu, said Dr. Mbah was “walking the talk on making Enugu State the preferred destination for investment, business, tourism, and living”.
“The successful hosting of the Investment Roundtable, the profile of participants, quality of the panellists and discussions, and the explicit commitments made by highly consequential global economic powers like the United Kingdom (UK), development funders, development partners, domestic and international investors, and leading members of corporate Nigeria to the economic growth of Enugu State is an indication of the Mbah administration’s promise to grow the state’s economy sevenfold from $4.4 billion to $30 billion is doable and on course.
“We are equally inclined to believe that with the zeal, focus, and painstaking efforts to radically improve on the state’s ease of doing business indices, including the daily improvements on the security of lives and property, the $2.1 billion worth 30 projects already curated will ultimately be oversubscribed at the Enugu State Diaspora and Investment Summit scheduled for the second quarter of next year”, they group stated.
The E-3G equally expressed delight at the nature of projects and investment opportunities being promoted by the state government, describing them as people oriented.
“Importantly, it is also heart-warming that the projects and investment opportunities being promoted will have direct positive impact on the lives of the ordinary man and the rural economy in the areas of healthcare, housing, digital skills, employment, and socio-economic infrastructure, among others”, the group concluded.
