The federal and Enugu state governments say they will partner to complete and operationalise the international wing of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, including building a cargo terminal to boost the state’s and nation’s economy and tourism capacity.

Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria CEO Kabir Mohammed and Governor Peter Mbah disclosed this on Monday in Enugu.

The duo toured the ongoing international terminal building and the proposed site for the international cargo terminal of the airport.

Speaking to journalists after a courtesy visit to the governor and tour of the facility, Mr Mohammed commended Mr 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.

“We met with the governor here today with a view to collaborate with FAAN in order to make the international terminal functional,” stated the FAAN boss. “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.”

He added, “The first place we went to is supposed to be the cargo terminal, and we have a cargo warehouse in that location as well as the cargo terminal.”

He explained that having a cargo terminal in Enugu would go a long way in improving the economy of the South-East zone and the nation and assisting traders in the region.

Mr Mbah 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.

He described them as enablers of investments and key economic activities in Enugu.

“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,” added the Enugu governor. “The cargo terminal is critical if we are going to engage in the export of agricultural and agro-allied produce from the state. That is why we are looking at partnering with FAAN to ensure that we start and complete a cargo terminal and, indeed, operationalise it.”

The governor also mentioned that the international wing was almost completed, demanding they operationalise it, stressing that they would not be able to make money from it until they got it functional.

“We will not be able to create value for the people of Enugu or South East and indeed the entire country if it is not done. If you look at the huge economic development plan we have expressed to our people, tourism is core there. We are looking at attracting over three million visitors to Enugu yearly,” explained Mr Mbah.

The governor added, “That cannot happen just by road, and 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 an international airport.”

On the funding challenge, Mr Mbah assured that FAAN and the Enugu government would explore funding models to actualise the project.

“Now, we believe that projects like these are bankable because they are also revenue-yielding projects. So, there is no reason why we cannot find a financing model that will work for us and ensure that this project is immediately realised,” the Enugu governor stated.

Mr Mbah also said the state government and the FAAN team had fruitful discussions on the timeline to ensure the speedy completion of both projects. 

(NAN)