German Govt Business Community Storm Enugu for Economic Cooperation
German Govt Business Community Storm Enugu for Economic Cooperation:Laud improved ease of doing business
… _Target agricultural, energy, trade and investment opportunities
… _Nigerian economy can only grow from the states – Mbah_
The government of Germany has expressed its eagerness to strengthen
economic cooperation with the government and people of Enugu State,
especially in the areas of agriculture, energy, trade and investment.
The industrial giant said that it chose Enugu State as one of its
three business and investment destinations in the entire southern
Nigeria given its findings on improved ease-of-doing-business under the Dr. Peter Mbah Administration and affirmation by the Nigerian media.
German Govt Business Community Storm Enugu for Economic Cooperation: the delegation
The German government spoke through its Consul General,
Mr. Weert Börner, who led a delegation of the German business community and the German Corporation for International Cooperation, GIZ, on a working
visit to Governor Peter Mbah at Government House, Enugu.
Börner said the visit was in continuation of discussions that started
in Lagos in 2023 on increasing German cooperation with Enugu State in the aforementioned sectors.
“So, I am very happy to be here in Enugu city to increase and
deepen our conversation on this cooperation. I am also very happy
that the delegation with me is comprised of representatives of the
DHK (Deutsche Handels Kompetenz), which is our chamber in Lagos
for industry and commerce; GIZ, our international cooperation
agency and Siemens Energy, a private company that is already doing
a lot in Nigeria to improve electricity and energy sector.
German Govt Business Community Storm Enugu for Economic Cooperation: the news
“We get a lot of news by the Nigerian media and through our own office that Enugu State and its own government have improved a lot in the sense of structuring process to get business easier done to improve the infrastructural basis for joint engagement.
“We are actually very happy about this development.
the german government
The German government decided to concentrate more on specific states
within the Nigerian federal system. And those states from the
south are Ogun, Abia, and Enugu State. So, this is why I am here
to get our cooperation on a higher and more intense level,” the envoy stated.
While appreciating the Germans for choosing Enugu State as one
of their economic partners, Governor Peter Mbah said his administration was very ready and willing to partner with German government and businesses.
Mbah emphasised that the $30bn GDP target his administration
set for itself, though high, was realisable through private sector
investments and international cooperation, adding also that
Nigeria’s much-needed economic growth could only come from the states, not the centre.
“I want to put on record our deep appreciation to you for selecting
Enugu as one of the three southern states you want to partner with.
the goal
“We are really excited about this essentially because though we are
subnational, our ambition and the goals we have set for ourselves are national in scale.
“We plan to grow the economy to a point that is unprecedented.
If you look at the target, we set for ourselves to grow the economy from
$4.4bn to $30bn in the next seven years. It appears too ambitious
because you are talking about a sevenfold growth and you are
looking at a compounded annual growth rate of 27 per cent, but we
think it is realisable because we are looking at unlocking a lot of the
economic potentials of the state that have not been touched.
“So, before now, we have also been working very hard, preparing ourselves for a day like this because the economic growth of this nation will not come from top to the bottom.
I have always been an ardent advocate that growth will come from the periphery.
It will come from the bottom-up,” he said.
the assurance
The governor assured the German government and businesses of
massive opportunities in the areas of agriculture, energy, trade and investment.
“We see agriculture as one of the major sectors that we can use to
rapidly grow our economy. For us, agriculture is beyond food security.
“We are also putting together the Special Agro Processing Zones to
meet up with our consumption and begin to package for local market and export.
The ultimate goal is to be able to develop these produce into products,
standardise them, and have them exported,” he stated.
Mbah said the government was in the advanced stages of getting the
international wing of Akanu Ibiam International Airport completed
and operationalised as well as build a cargo terminal to facilitate exports.
hectres of land
Still on agriculture, he said the state had acquired about 300,000 hectres of land to attract commercial farmers, while also seeking partnerships in the development of the livestock industry where the administration had taken steps to better structure and
modernise the industry by initiating and signing the Ranch Management Agency Law.
The governor said the state had embarked on an aggressive development
of road infrastructure so that investors would not have to worry about access to farmlands and evacuation of farm produce and processed products.
He equally urged the German delegation to take advantage of the
extensive work already done by the state in the form of institutional
strengthening, progressive policies, and improved regulations in the electricity sector through partnership and investment.