The Enugu State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming the state into Nigeria’s leading tourism destination through strategic investments in hospitality, eco-tourism, culture and the creative economy.
The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, and the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo, stated this during the Our Government, Our Voice programme on Sunrise FM, monitored by EnuguDaily where they reviewed the administration’s three-year tourism agenda.
Dame Ugochi Madueke said the present administration had repositioned tourism from being viewed merely as a leisure activity to becoming a major investment sector capable of creating jobs, boosting internally generated revenue and contributing significantly to the state’s economic growth.
She noted that the government’s tourism development strategy aligns with Governor Peter Mbah’s vision of growing Enugu’s economy into a 30-billion-dollar economy by making the state a preferred destination for conferences, investments and leisure tourism.
Speaking on achievements recorded so far, the commissioner highlighted the revitalisation of Nike Lake Resort, the transformation of the International Conference Centre into a major conference destination, the reconstruction of the Presidential Hotel and the construction of a five-star International Hotel, which she said would strengthen the state’s hospitality industry and stimulate direct and indirect employment opportunities.
She also disclosed that the government had identified more than 85 tourism sites across the state and was implementing their development in phases.
According to her, the first phase includes the redevelopment of Ngwo Pine Forest with new visitor facilities and what she described as Nigeria’s first zip line, the Nsude Pyramid and Africa’s longest canopy walkway, the Ovu Lake Golf Resort, the Ogbunike/Opi-Agu tourism corridor, Awhum Waterfall, the Cross of Hope religious tourism project, and the Akwuke tourism development centre featuring a beach, water park, theme park and animal sanctuary.
Madueke explained that host communities would play central roles in managing the tourism assets, noting that local youths would be engaged as tour guides while residents would benefit from increased commercial activities through the sale of local products and services.
On sustainability, she said the government intends to concession the facilities to private operators while leveraging Enugu’s existing security infrastructure, including surveillance technology and community participation, to safeguard the tourism sites adding that all facilities would include accessibility features such as ramps for persons with disabilities.
Contributing, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo, said tourism remains a critical component of the administration’s strategy to expand the state’s Gross Domestic Product and attract more than three million visitors annually.
He noted that government investments in security, transport and tourism infrastructure were already encouraging private investors to build more hotels and other hospitality facilities, describing the development as evidence of growing investor confidence in Enugu.
Dr. Agbo urged residents to embrace tourism as a business opportunity by welcoming visitors and reviving cultural festivals capable of attracting tourists from within and outside the country.
He expressed confidence that tourism would become a major contributor to the state’s economy within the next year as more projects are completed and additional tourist attractions become operational.
