Gov. Mbah visits Austria, woos investors

Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Austrian government towards the development of the state.

The Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Peter Mbah on External Relations, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Enugu.

Anichukwu said the governor also held high-level meetings with senior government officials in Austria, the business community, and international development partners on investment.

According to him, the governor signed the MoU in Vienna, Austria, when he met with the Austrian Minister of Interior, Gehard Karner; the Minister of Labour and Commerce, Dr. Martin Kocher; and the Minister of Agriculture, Norbert Totschnig.

Others include the Managing Director of the Austrian Promotional Bank, Bernhard Sagmeister; the Director General of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Michael Spindelegge; and parliamentarians, among others.

Anichukwu said the country expressed readiness to collaborate with the Enugu State government for the mutual benefit of both parties.

This, he said, would help the governor grow the state’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion in four to eight years through private sector investment and strategic partnerships.

He said at the meeting with Austria’s Minister of Interior, Karner, Mbah and his host agreed to partner across various sectors with opportunities in Nigeria for Austrian small and medium enterprises.

“As a way of kickstarting a fruitful relationship, Mbah and Karner signed an MOU on behalf of their respective governments for the establishment of a K-9 training unit in Enugu to boost security and crime detection,” he said.

He explained that the governor’s meeting with the country’s Minister of Agriculture dwelt on the implementation of an agricultural model region measuring about 2,000 to 5,000 hectares and replicating the Austrian Cooperative success story in Enugu State.

In a meeting with Kocher, Anichukwu said the governor expressed readiness to help expand collaboration between Austrian and Nigerian businesses.

Most especially in the areas of agriculture, hydropower, work, and knowledge in semiconductors, possibly leveraging the already existing Austrian business presence at the European Business Park in Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu.

“Enugu is open for business. We are your trusted partner for business in Nigeria and a stepping stone for Austrian businesses looking for a foothold in Africa,” he said.

The Senior Special Assistant quoted the managing director of the Austrian Promotional Bank, Sagmeister, saying that the bank was already supporting some Austrian businesses investing in Enugu State.

According to him, the Austrian Promotional Bank was interested in exploring more opportunities to provide guarantees, including guarantees for credits from Nigerian banks, for Austrian businesses investing in Nigeria.

He added that the bank had equally assisted the state government in designing creative approaches to procuring foreign funding.

Anichukwu added that Mbah also toured the Spittelau Waste Incineration Plant, which handles 250,000 tonnes of municipal refuse annually and generates a large proportion of electricity for powering the city of Vienna.

“Meanwhile, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce has invited the Enugu State Government to the next Africa Day in Vienna, where the state would boost its chances of investment by meeting with over 300 Austrian businesses with an interest in overseas investment and opportunities.

“The Head of International Relationships at the Chamber of Commerce, Michael Otter, said the Chamber was ready to work with Governor Mbah for the mutual benefits of Enugu State and Austria,” Anichukwu said.