Enugu to tap into $10.50bn MICE industry, says Gov. Mbah

The Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah has disclosed of the State government determination to tap into $10.50billion Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE) industry, stressing that newly commissioned International Conference Centre by President Bola Tinubu is a significant step towards achieving such dream.

The governor in his welcome address when President Tinubu visited on Saturday said, “But its significance neither lies in its elegance nor in its sheer size, which boasts a seating capacity that is easily one of the largest in Nigeria. Its real significance lies in the leverage it gives us in our goal to make Enugu the Conferencing Capital of Africa.

“Many might, indeed, wonder what value conferences, meetings and events can add to an economy.

“About 30 years ago, Rwanda was in the throes of a genocidal conflict that resulted in the deaths of over one million people. Today, its capital – Kigali – is ranked as the second most preferred city for international conferences and events.

“This positive turnaround is not accidental. It was a reputation the country doggedly sought and carefully nurtured.  To some, such statistics amounts to nothing more than bragging rights. But there’s real economic value behind this data. This could be gleaned from the fact that Rwanda’s MICE industry recorded $95 million in revenue in 2023. Let’s think about that – that figure is over N155 billion.

“The market for Africa’s meetings, conferences and events industry is huge. In 2022, it was valued at $10.50 billion. We want to get a huge slice of that. The International Conference Centre is a significant step towards this dream.”

He noted that President Tinubu visits clearly represents a major highlight in Enugu’s illustrious history, stating that his presence in Enugu state is also an opportunity for the State to heartily commend him for signing the South East Development Commission bill into law.

“We are particularly delighted because, besides fostering infrastructural revamp and tackling peculiar ecological challenges in the South East, this Commission will also complement the many development strides unfolding across Enugu State. Your Excellency, your credential as a true federalist stands out brightly and the legacies thereof will for long earn you resounding accolades. In signing the Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, you liberalized electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. That singular act will always rank as an enduring legacy.  It is noteworthy that Enugu State was the first sub-national to which regulatory oversight of the local electricity market was ceded. That’s a reflection of how swiftly we are pursuing the goals we have set for ourselves,” he said.

He disclosed that the State’s goals include growing Enugu State from the $4.4billion economy that it was on his accession to office, to a $30billion economy in the next four to eight years.  

It also includes the ambition to make Enugu State one of Nigeria’s top three states in GDP terms,” he said.

He, however, recognized that few things stifle dreams such as we have, and drain life out of a city like untamed criminality – or any hint of it.

“That’s why one of the first actions I took as governor was to stop an illegal sit-at-home order imposed across the South East by a criminal gang, which almost literally held the public hostage.

This is shaped by the knowledge that hardly any of our economic goals can be achieved if there is just a mere whiff of insecurity.

That understanding is evident in the substantial investments we have made in strengthening security in Enugu State.

The framework of our security system was designed to nip crime in the bud, and react swiftly when there is any breach of security. This is what our Distress Response Squad (DRS) represents.

“However, a sense of security is not simply instilled through the physical presence of arms-bearing personnel. It is rather reinforced by a system that helps guarantee a sense of security even when the threat of crime is remote.

“This is what our AI-enhanced security initiative, which has led to round-the-clock surveillance of our streets and neighbourhoods across the entire state, is helping us to achieve.  This statewide CCTV network is operated via this Command and Control Centre (to be) commissioned today.

“Your Excellency, every society will encounter challenges. But I believe in the old phrase that what matters is how we respond to those challenges. This truly typifies our definitive response to challenges in the education sector, where it seemed pupils were merely going through the motions of learning – barely able to read even after six years in primary school.

“Such scenario meant our students risked being left behind in a globalized and dynamic workplace defined by cutting-edge skills and knowledge,” he explained.

He noted that the State’ Smart Green School is the face of his administration response to that threat.

“The Smart Green School imbues students with a learning and skillset that are consistent with the demands of the 21st Century and, also, primed to solve socio-economic challenges of their immediate communities.

“Each of our 260 Political Wards hosts a Smart School similar to the one commissioned today. This reflects our conviction that a qualitative early education is an enduring foundation for the robust human resources necessary for the growth of any society.

“Committing one-third of our total annual budget to funding education in two budget cycles underscores our resolve to building an education system that is fit-for-purpose.

“This translates to roughly twice UNESCO’s recommended benchmark of 15% – 20%. What this means is that for every 100 Naira spent, 33 Naira goes into funding the education sector.

“Of course, we’re not oblivious to the strong likelihood that the results of these reforms and investments may not become fully evident during our time in office.

“For me, this possibility is immaterial. Knowing that we’re securing the future of our children offers me the greatest sense of satisfaction – more than any fleeting public adulation.

“Being the backbone of the health sector, primary healthcare means a lot to us, especially given that they are mostly located in rural areas.  The importance of primary healthcare is underscored by the immense resources we have deployed towards strengthening our healthcare delivery at the grassroots.  Each of the 260 primary healthcare centres in our 260 wards has a standard quality feature over which we cannot compromise.

“What you find in a primary healthcare centre in an urban locale is what exists in a rural-based PHC – even if the location is a very remote village.  We have also demonstrated a similar resolve with road construction, boosted by our acquisition of an asphalt production plant, which has a capacity to produce 160 tons of asphalt per hour.

“Our modest accomplishments across sectors in the last 18 months have reinforced the conviction that although true development might yield some discomfort; it always creates an outcome that benefits all and makes the pain felt at its gestation period worth enduring,” he said.