SDGs: Mbah Moves Enugu Beyond Projects, Targets Lasting Development Impact

The Enugu State Government has unveiled a 25-year development plan to ensure the state’s ongoing transformation outlives individual administrations, with Governor Peter Mbah declaring that the government’s focus is shifting from simply delivering projects to building strong institutions and achieving lasting improvements in citizens’ lives.

Mbah made the declaration at the 2026 Enugu State Global Goals Week Symposium, held at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu, with the theme, “From Projects to Lasting Impact: Sustaining Enugu State’s Development Transformation.”

Governor Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said the state’s development agenda was being deliberately aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure that investments in infrastructure, human capital and critical services produced measurable and enduring impact.

He said the administration had continued to prioritise investments in education, healthcare, roads, agriculture, water, technology, security and other critical sectors, stressing that the projects were not ends in themselves but part of a broader strategy to build systems capable of sustaining development over the long term.

“Our objective is not merely to execute projects, but to build systems and institutions capable of delivering enduring development and ensuring that the transformation we are driving today is sustained beyond the tenure of any single administration,” Mbah said.

He said the 25-year development plan would provide continuity, guide long-term investments, strengthen institutions, expand economic opportunities, improve human capital and promote inclusive development across the state.

Mbah noted that the state’s commitment to the SDGs was reflected in the spread of development interventions across the 260 electoral wards, particularly through the Smart Green Schools and Primary Healthcare Centres.

He assured that the government would continue to strengthen institutions, improve service delivery and put in place mechanisms to sustain the development gains achieved under the administration.

In a welcome address, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals and Enugu State SDGs Focal Person, Onyinye Akubuilo-Okpalanma, said the state’s transformation must remain people-centred, inclusive and sustainable.

She said government programmes should be judged not simply by the number of projects completed or funds spent, but by their impact on residents, the opportunities created, and the communities strengthened.

“The success of government programmes should not be measured only by the number of projects completed or the amount of money spent, but by the extent to which those interventions improve the daily lives of our people, expand opportunities and strengthen communities,” she said.

Akubuilo-Okpalanma called for stronger community participation, continuous monitoring, reliable data and greater transparency in public finance and project implementation. She also urged greater attention to vulnerable groups and sustained investment in education, primary healthcare and environmental protection.

She called on development partners, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, the private sector and community leaders to work with the government to sustain development gains, stressing the importance of continuity, institutional memory and long-term planning.

“Enugu’s transformation will be judged not only by the projects visible today, but also by the quality of institutions, opportunities and services available to future generations,” she said.

In a keynote address titled “From Projects to Lasting Impact: Sustaining Enugu State’s Development Transformation,” former Minister of Information, Frank Nweke Jnr., commended the scale and pace of public investment in the state over the past three years.

Nweke said the Mbah administration had reported more than 1,500 kilometres of roads constructed or reconstructed, over 7,000 classrooms and 260 Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres.

He also cited the 2025 budget, in which ₦837.9 billion, representing 86 per cent of the budget, was allocated to capital expenditure, while ₦320.6 billion, representing more than one-third of the total budget, was allocated to education.

He stressed that improved domestic revenue mobilisation was essential to sustaining ambitious development, noting that the financial capacity to fund projects, maintain public assets, and support institutions was critical to long-term transformation.

“Projects can transform places, but strong institutions are necessary to ensure that the transformation endures,” Nweke said.

He identified five priorities for sustaining Enugu’s development: linking investments to clearly defined problems and measurable outcomes; embedding the SDGs in planning and budgeting; measuring outcomes rather than expenditure alone; providing for the maintenance of public assets from the outset; and strengthening institutions, professional capacity and accountability mechanisms.

In separate goodwill messages, the UNICEF Field Office, Enugu representative, Juliet Chiluwe, the Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, Rt. Hon. Paul Nnajiofor; and Amb. Amaka Nweke commended the state’s development efforts and emphasised the need for inclusive, accountable and sustainable development that would continue to benefit present and future generations.

The event brought together government officials, development partners, traditional and community stakeholders, civil society representatives and members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among other participants.