By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Enugu State Government has unveiled 30 potential project opportunities at the inaugural Enugu State Investment and Economic Growth Stakeholder Roundtable held earlier today, Friday, September 1, 2023.

The Governor of state, Mr Peter Mbah, unveiled investment opportunities in projects that would improve the lives of the people through industrialisation, employment and socio-economic infrastructure such as electricity and hospitals, among others.

Speaking at a pre-event press conference on Thursday, Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, explained that the event would be the first in a series of business and investment roundtables in preparation for the first fully transactional Enugu State Diaspora and Investment Summit, which will take place in April 2024.

He said: “The governor’s vision for the state is to transition the state from public to private investment-led growth, which will eventually close our physical and social infrastructure gap, create hundreds of thousands of jobs for the people, and expand our economy towards the 30-billion-dollar growth trajectory that we know is achievable.

“So, at the Roundtable, the governor will share his vision for Enugu State and present the state’s Integrated Sector-Based Productivity Growth Strategy, which lays out a clear path to achieving our 30-billion-dollar GDP growth target

“Enugu has traditionally been a public-sector city, and we are no longer satisfied with the status quo.

“So, the State Government will present a pipeline of 30 potential project opportunities with an estimated investment value of more than 2.1 billion dollars.

“These are not just numbers, but transformative projects that will affect and improve the quality of life and standard of living for residents of Enugu State.

“The projects in our pipeline range from specialist geriatric, paediatric, and maternal care hospitals to natural gas-to-power plants and renewable energy parks that will help meet the state’s 690 megawatts base load requirement and ensure the sustainability of Enugu State’s energy sector.

“Therefore, they are transformative projects that will catalyse accelerated economic growth in our state and ensure sustainable prosperity and resilience for our people”, prof. Onyia said.

Citing Lagos State as an example, Prof. Onyia said the Roundtable became imperative because the private sector remained the actual driver of economic growth.

“So, it is crucial to us that ahead of the Summit next year, that we hear directly from the development partners, domestic financial institutions that have played catalytic roles in deploying capital for infrastructure development across various countries, and the private sector operators who have a wealth of experience carrying out large-scale projects globally.

“We expect that this Roundtable discussion will help the state identify critical policy intervention and measures needed to ensure that we provide a conducive business environment for private investments to come to Enugu and thrive; and lay the groundwork for long-term partnerships and cooperation that can catalyse inclusive and sustainable growth in our state”, he added, stressing that “Enugu State is resolute for investment and open for business”.

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