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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The Enugu State government has revealed plans to launch the first edition of Enugu State Diaspora and Investment Forum (EN-DIF) aimed at attracting $2 billion investment to the state.
Governor Peter Mbah who announced this during a press briefing at the Government House Enugu on Monday said that the forum will be a multi-stakeholder, fully transactional platform championed by the state.
Mbah said that the forum will match project sponsors, domestic and international financial institutions, private investors including the diaspora investing community and development partners to viable investment opportunities in the state.
He revealed that the forum which will be held in April, 2024 will also increase Enugu State’s global competitiveness and drive suitable development outcomes in the state.
Mbah said, “My government has made a concerted effort to identify commercially viable investment and business opportunities that cut across multiple sectors including energy, agribusiness, tourism, and transport, as well as the data centre economy.
“We intend to pursue new investment partnerships with financiers, project sponsors and developers, and technical assistance providers to structure, implement and unlock these value transactions.
He said that: “The Forum aims to identify and curate projects to bankability, to work with relevant government agencies to facilitate policy reforms, technical assistance support and innovative partnerships, to mobilize capital for bankable projects, including net-zero aligned projects that can unlock the economic potential of Enugu State and South-Eastern Nigeria.
“It also seeks to implement an annual investment marketplace with special boardrooms for government agencies, potential investors, and project sponsors to match and mutually de-risk projects and to accelerate the financial closure of investment deals brought to the ES-DIF platform by public and private investors.”
The event will be preceded by an Investment and Economic Growth Stakeholder Roundtable which will hold in September 2023 to engage bilateral and multilateral development partners.
