Enugu, EU strengthen partnership as Mbah receives EU delegation

The Sun

The Enugu State Government and the European Union (EU) have renewed their commitment to strengthening partnerships across various sectors of the state economy.

This was confirmed during a courtesy visit to Governor Peter Mbah by a delegation of the EU at Government House, Enugu, over the weekend.

The delegation, led by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Gautier Mignot, included the Ambassador of Belgium to Nigeria, Mr Pieter Leenknegt, and the Ambassador of Portugal, Mr Paulos Martins dos Santos, alongside other senior diplomats.

Mignot stated that the EU is keen to deepen partnerships with Enugu State in alignment with the state administration’s expectations and vision.

“The purpose of the visit is to meet you, pay you a courtesy visit, to talk about the partnership between the European Union and Enugu State, its potential, and your vision about the future.

“Here in Enugu State in particular, we have been partnering in two sectors, which are education and energy. On energy, we have several projects ongoing. One is Solar for Health, which is implemented by NTU International. Enugu is one of the seven states benefiting from this project and under it we will provide technical assistance and funding for the construction of 20 solar microgrids to power 20 primary health centres and 124 small- and medium-sized enterprises.

“We also have the Small Hydro Power for Agro-industrial Sectors Project implemented by UNIDO. Finally, we have the Nigeria Energy Support Programme, which is implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation, GIZ,” he said.

The envoy explained that the programme includes electrification and investment support, training and capacity building, and the funding of three interconnected minigrids with a capacity of up to 1 MW to electrify 1,000 beneficiaries.

He added that Enugu State was also selected from the six geopolitical zones for the ‘Education and Youth Empowerment in Nigeria, Expand, Integrate, and Strengthen Systems (EISS) to Build Teachers’ Capacity and Resilience’, run by UNESCO. The programme will provide training for teachers in Smart Green Schools until June 2028.

Mignot additionally highlighted the partnership between the EU and the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, an annual event in Enugu, noting this year’s edition involved training filmmakers and awarding grants for short film projects.

Leenknegt, Ambassador of Belgium, emphasised Belgium’s economic interests in Enugu State, including Emenite Limited, a long-standing Nigerian-Belgium joint venture that has been operating since 1961 and employs over 300 people from the region.

The Ambassador of Portugal underscored that the EU’s footprint in Nigeria remains significant and multidimensional, highlighting Portuguese interests in energy, infrastructure, and agriculture.

In his remarks, Governor Mbah expressed appreciation for the EU’s partnership and alignment with his administration’s education and health initiatives. He stressed the state’s investment of over 33 per cent of its budget in education and invited the EU and its member states to explore opportunities in the aviation and energy sectors. Mbah assured that his administration would support all investments and urged international carriers to consider flying from Enugu as the state develops its aviation sector.

He also mentioned the state’s efforts in the gas sector in collaboration with the Federal Government, emphasising that Enugu is “open for business.”