The existing partnership between Enugu State Government and the European Union (EU) is being deepened and expanded beyond the existing two sectors – education and energy – to cover other sectors.

The two parties agreed on the need to make their partnership stronger when the Governor of Enugu, Mr. Peter Mbah received a delegation of the EU on courtesy visit weekend at Government House, Enugu.

The EU delegation, led by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Gautier Mignot, included the Belgium Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Pieter Leenknegt, his Portuguese counterpart, Mr. Paulos Martins dos Santos, and other senior diplomats.

Mignot told Governor Mbah that the delegation was at Enugu “to talk about the partnership between the European Union and Enugu State, its potential, and your vision about the future”.

He said that EU was desirous of strengthening its partnership with Enugu in ways that would meet the expectations of his administration in alignment with its vision.

“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,” Mignot said.

The EU Ambassador noted that Enugu is among the seven states benefiting from the Solar for Health project, under which “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-size 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 further stated.

The EU envoy explained that the project involved “electrification and investment support, training and capacity building, and the funding of three interconnected mini-grids up to the capacity of 1 MW to electrify 1,000 beneficiaries.

He also stated that Enugu State was one of the states selected from the six geopolitical zones for the ‘Education and Youth Empowerment in Nigeria, Expand, Integrate, and Strengthen Systems (EISS). This programme, which aims ‘to Build Teachers’ Capacity and Resilience’, is being implemented by UNESCO.

Mignot specifically stated that the programme would involve the sustained training of teachers for the Smart Green Schools initiative up till June 2028.

He highlighted the partnership between the EU and the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, an annual event hosted in Enugu, noting that the 2025 edition featured EU-sponsored programmes.

According to him, this year’s event featured “teachings by aspiring filmmakers with the grant awarded to the best to implement his project of short films as well as the presentation of some movies”.

On his part, Ambassador Leenknegt listed Belgium’s various economic interests in Enugu State and Nigeria, citing Emenite Limited, a joint Nigerian-Belgium venture located at Emene, which produces building materials. It specialises in fibre-cement products like roofing and ceiling sheets

“They have existed here for as long as since 1961. They are definitely delivering high-quality products. It is a company with more than 300 employees from the region and I think it will be good to keep fostering this relationship between Belgium and Nigeria,” he said.

Another top-ranking member of the EU delegation, the Ambassador of Portugal, stressed his country’s interests and exploits in Nigeria, covering energy, infrastructure, and agricultural sectors of the Nigerian economy.

He noted that “the footprint of the European Union in this country is so huge and multidimensional”.

Mbah, in his response, expressed gratitude to the EU for its partnership and the alignment of its programmes with those of his administration in education, health, and other sectors.

“I have seen a huge alliance between our vision and projects and the aims and objectives of what the EU is doing, particularly as regards your programmes and projects across Africa,” he enthused.

The Enugu governor explained the reason behind his decision to make 33 percent budgetary provision for education, saying that “it has become necessary to equip Enugu children with knowledge and skills to compete in the global economy”.

“It is a radical move. We know that if we fail to spend that money and equip these kids, we will pay 10 times the money in future,” he stated.

The Enugu State chief executive, therefore, invited the EU and its member states to play big in the opportunities existing in Enugu State’s economy, in the aviation and energy sectors.

He said: “We have launched Enugu Air. The international wing of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport will soon become operational.

“That means that we will have more international carriers that will fly from Enugu. We urge you to begin to talk to your home carriers to also begin to think about Enugu”.

Mbah told his EU visitors that “we also have opportunities in the gas sector”, adding that “we are working with the Federal Government to add the gas pipeline; so we are going to unlock the economic potential we have in the subsector gas”.

“We are open for business,” he declared.

The Enugu governor assured the EU delegation that his administration would do everything possible to ensure that investments and businesses succeed in Enugu State. (THISDAY)