By Special Correspondent

…As Danish Govt, businesses seek more investment, partnership opportunities in Enugu

The Government of Denmark has expressed its eagerness to expand the European nation’s business interests in Enugu State, expressing enthusiasm at partnering with the state in key sectors of the economy and other areas of mutual benefits.

Denmark, which is a member of the European Union, stated this when its government delegation and Danish businesses led by the Consul General of the Royal Danish Embassy in Nigeria, Jette Djerrrum, met with the governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, at Government House, Enugu, on Monday.

Djerrum, who also doubles as the Head of Trade of the Danish Embassy in Nigeria, said their interest was inspired by shared values with Enugu State Government such as transparency, accountability, and inclusivity, as well as Governor Mbah’s speech at the 34th anniversary celebration of the reunification of the East and West Germany held in Lagos in 2024.

She stressed that contrary to negative generalisation, Enugu State was an example that many good things were happening in Nigeria.

“People Google all the bad stories, but we want them to know the good stories too; to say this (Enugu State) is also Nigeria, and this is where good people build trust and work with transparency, accountability, and traceability.

“I am here to understand what is important for Enugu. They (Denmark and Enugu State) have similarities. Transparency, accountability and transformation are important values for Enugu. They are also important values for Denmark. Inclusion, diversity and equality at all levels for everybody also.

“What we hear as music from the governor is the focus on children, the focus on our young people. The Smart School initiative, which is really impressive. The agriculture value chain. The waste and the waste to energy transformation. All the logistics initiatives that are going on. The international airport, the cargo space and the healthcare projects that are also being driven by the Governor. We are really impressed.

“We now need to be fast because things really move fast here in Enugu. We are here to figure out how we can help to improve on them more. We have Danish companies here. We have the group that is supplying the first tractors. We have a new tractor assembly centre. So, how do we get more Danish companies to come here, establish themselves and work together with Enugu citizens? That’s why we’re here,” she stated.

“We come from a country of waste to power, wind and solar energy. We know you cannot do it in a day, but we would like to know how to support the process, and then capacity building.

“The low hanging fruits will be in agriculture because that is what we do. That will also include logistics and so forth,” she concluded.

Speaking, Governor Mbah restated his government’s commitment to not only create a business-friendly environment, but to also de-risk investment, encourage investors through offtakes, noting that the visit by the Danish delegation was a major boost for his administration’s effort to grow the state’s economy sevenfold to the tune of $30 billion in the next six years.

“We have already signed an agreement with the Danish Company, ODK Group, and that agreement is going to see us procure tractors from them. What is also interesting is that they are also willing to have their assembly plant here. But we feel that this is just an entry point.

“We also have over 300,000 hectares secured as landbank for agriculture. So, just as Denmark, agriculture is also our lifeblood. 40 per cent of our economy is predicated on agriculture.

“We equally have an initiative that we are implementing now called Farm Estate, which is across the 260 electoral wards in Enugu. So, each ward is going to have a massive expanse of land that is going to be access-controlled.

“We also plan to create value on those products. So, we are setting up Special Agro-Processing Zones that will come up soon. This is going to be a one-stop shop for manufacturers where you will have everything you need to have for manufacturing like water, access roads, electricity, even the houses and the warehouses. You just plug and play.

“In livestock, we are investing hugely and we are also looking for partnership in that regard. We have secured about $20 million for investment in livestock. We are working on a massive ranch; we expect that ranch to take over 20,000 cows,” he added.

Mbah also highlighted opportunities in various other sectors such as tourism, health, logistics, and aviation.