$30bn Economic Growth Target Achievable, Mbah Declares

Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah has told his political appointees that they would be assessed by the performance benchmarks set for all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

He said the $30 billion gross domestic product (GDP), his administration set for the state is achievable, adding that the state government was in a hurry to deliver on its campaign promises.

Mbah stated this in his closing remarks at a three-day executive leadership retreat held for senior political appointees at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu from Friday to Sunday.

The retreat theme was “Strategic Leadership for Disruptive Innovation and Sustainable Development” which brought together leadership, development, financial, climate, public sector, strategy and innovation experts such as Prof. Joseph Urama of the African Development Bank, Dr. Ibukun Awosika, Linus Okorie, Dr. Joe Abah, Dr. Sam Onyia, and Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke.

 The governor said that raising the state’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion was doable if the political appointees applied the knowledge garnered at the retreat to disrupt the status quo which was no longer acceptable.

He said: “I think that everything we have expressed here in terms of our vision is possible. Development history is replete with countries, sub-nationals, and cities where the people have come together and agreed that they would change the narrative, the pattern of growth, and they committed themselves to it, and it happened.

“So, nobody should tell you that what we want to do in Enugu is impossible. With our can-do spirit, we can achieve a $30 billion economy in the next eight years. We can achieve a great city. 

We can achieve access to the best quality education that any child can have access to in the world. We can also have access to high-quality healthcare service in this state. We can build 10,000 kilometres of road. We can restore water to Enugu in the next two months as promised by our people and also make access to clean water happen for our people across the state in no distant time. We can also achieve zero poverty headcount and eradicate poverty from our state and deliver on every promise we made.

“Indeed, we can make Enugu the premier destination for business, investment, tourism, and living.

 “We are already thinking about the future that we want to bequeath to our children, and history beckons on all of us to do something. If we believe in it, if we have the can-do spirit, then we can make it happen.”