German govt seeks economic cooperation with Enugu State

The German Government says it is eager to strengthen economic cooperation with Enugu State in the areas of agriculture, energy, trade and investment.

Weert Borner, the German Consul General to Nigeria, made this submission when he led a delegation of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on a working visit to Governor Peter Mbah at Government House, Enugu.

Borner said that Germany chose Enugu as one of the three business and investment destinations in the entire southern Nigeria because of improved ease of doing business under Mbah’s administration.

He said that the visit was in continuation of discussions that started in Lagos in 2023 on increasing German cooperation with the state.

“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 comprised representatives of the Deutsche Handels Kompetenz (DHK) which is our chamber in Lagos for industry and commerce; GIZ, our international cooperation agency and Siemens Energy.

“The German Government decided to concentrate more on specific states within Nigeria; and those states from the south are Ogun, Abia, and Enugu,” he said.

Appreciating the German Government for choosing Enugu as one of its economic partners, Mbah said his administration was very willing to partner with Germany.

Mbah emphasised that the 30 billion dollars GDP target his administration set for itself would be realisable through private sector investments and international cooperation.

He added 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.

“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.’’

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 said.

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 building a cargo terminal to facilitate exports.