FG, Enugu Govt. to Partner on Cargo, Int’l Airport Terminals
Mdfnews24.
19th June 2023
By the Editor in chief.
The Federal government and the Enugu State government are to partner to complete and operationalise the international wing of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, as well as build a cargo terminal to boost the state’s and nation’s economy and tourism capacity.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, and the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, made this known after a tour of the ongoing international terminal building and the proposed site for the international cargo terminal at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on Monday.
Speaking to newsmen after a courtesy call and tour of the facility with the Governor, Mr. Mohammed commended Mbah’s zeal and sense of urgency towards the actualisation and operationalisation of the two terminals, saying there was no better time to discuss partnership and collaboration than now.
He disclosed that Enugu as the capital of South-Eastern region, is where there is a lot of traders, who trade in different kinds of things across the globe,having in place a cargo terminal here will go a long way in improving the economy of the South-East Zone and the nation,” the FAAN boss stated.
The Governor said the operationalisation of the international terminal and construction of the cargo terminal and warehouse at the airport were critical to Enugu’s drive for a $30 billion economy, describing them as enablers of investments and key economic activities in the state.
“For us, the cargo terminal is critical to the economic growth of Enugu state,as we are migrating agriculture to agro-allied industrialisation. That means agriculture will not just be for food, it will also be for export,and the cargo terminal is critical to engage in the export of agricultural and agro-allied produce from the state.
Mbah further reiterated that by attracting over three million visitors in Enugu yearly,that cannot happen just by road,It is going to occur by flying, getting people from all across the different parts of the world to come to Enugu; and that will mean having the international airport terminal in operation,while working out a strategic framework of action of where we are going to in all the functional areas, spell out timelines that we need to complete this project.
