Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has said the state is moving beyond its traditional role as a consumer market and developing into a location for the production, assembly and potential export of high-tech products.
Mbah made the statement on Monday, September 28, 2026, while highlighting the significance of the Haitech Haier Global factory investment in Enugu.
“Enugu is no longer just a place where products are bought and consumed. We are building a state where high-tech products are made, assembled and exported from,” the governor said in a post on his official X account.
The governor described the Haier investment as one of the significant business investments hosted by the state, saying it is bringing technology, electronics and energy-product manufacturing and assembly to Enugu.
According to Mbah, the investment is expected to generate both direct and indirect employment, provide technical training for young people and expand the productive capacity of the state. He also reiterated his administration’s position that creating a business environment capable of attracting and retaining investors is central to its job-creation strategy.
The comments build on an investment formally inaugurated earlier this year. In February, Mbah inaugurated the Enugu Haier Factory, a $20 million foreign direct investment involving Haier Global Business and the Enugu State Government. The Enugu State Government said the facility was designed to produce up to 200,000 units of various products annually.
The factory’s planned product lines include smartphones, tablets, computers, smart boards and Android televisions, alongside medical, education and renewable-energy technologies. Haier Vice President Sun Yongle said the facility would initially employ about 100 people, with the company’s broader plans indicating that employment could exceed 200 as operations develop.
The investment is also intended to have a skills-development component. Haier said it planned to establish a research and development centre and a training centre in Enugu, including training and internship opportunities for students. The Enugu State Government has said the factory can also serve as a practical platform for vocational and technical education.
Beyond the initial factory, Haier said in February that it was discussing additional cooperation with Enugu in areas including agriculture, mining and transportation, with the company projecting that its total investment in the state could exceed $30 million. Those additional investments were presented as plans and discussions rather than completed investments.
Mbah’s latest statement places the Haier facility within his administration’s wider strategy of attracting private-sector investment and developing manufacturing capacity in the state. The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation also reported in April that Mbah had highlighted the Haier partnership as part of efforts involving manufacturing, technology transfer and capacity building for local workers.
For Enugu, the significance of the project extends beyond the number of products that can eventually leave the factory. A functioning technology-manufacturing base could create demand for local technical skills and supporting businesses in areas such as logistics, maintenance, distribution and other services. However, the scale of those wider economic effects will depend on the factory’s actual production, market demand, supply chains and the development of the additional investments announced by the company.
Mbah said his administration would continue working to make Enugu attractive to businesses and investors, arguing that investment and business growth should translate into more opportunities for residents.
“When businesses invest and grow in Enugu, opportunities grow for our people,” he said.
The governor’s latest remarks therefore represent both a description of the direction his administration wants Enugu’s economy to take and a projection of what the Haier investment could contribute to that transition. The factory’s documented production capacity provides a foundation for the state’s ambition, while the extent to which Enugu becomes a major exporter of locally manufactured high-tech products will depend on how the facility and related investments develop.
By TheDailyNewsHub Reporter