A partnership has been reported to be underway between the Federal government and the Enugu State government towards completing and making the international wing of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport operational.
This is also with a plan to 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, Kabir Mohammed, and the Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, disclosed this 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 the media after a courtesy visit to the governor and tour of the facility, Mohammed commended Mbah’s zeal and sense of urgency towards the actualisation and operationalisation of the two terminals.
He said there was no better time to discuss partnership and collaboration than now.
According to him, “We met with the governor here today with a view to collaborate with FAAN in order to make the international terminal functional.
“This is a time to look at things again and again before you will be able to get the right formula for it, and I believe His Excellency has that formula and within the shortest possible time, I can assure you that this terminal will be put to use.
“The first place we went to is supposed to be the cargo terminal. We have a cargo warehouse in that location as well as the cargo terminal.”
He added, “Enugu, as the capital of South-Eastern region, is where we know that there is a lot of traders, who trade in different kinds of things across the globe.
“So, having in place a cargo terminal here will go a long way in improving the economy of the South-East Zone and the nation.”
Also speaking to reporters, Mbah said the operationalisation of the international terminal and construction of the cargo terminal and warehouse at the airport was critical to Enugu’s drive for a $30bn economy.
Mbah said, “For us, the cargo terminal is critical. You know that 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 if we are going to engage in exports.
“We need to be able to export from here. That is why we are looking at partnering with FAAN to ensure that we start and complete a cargo terminal and indeed operationalise it.”
“As you can see, the international wing is almost complete. So, we need to have it operationalised. Until we get it functional, we will not be able to make money from it, and it will not impact anybody. We will not be able to create value for the people of Enugu or South East and indeed the entire country.
