The Enugu State Government has identified the establishment of Enugu Air and the concession of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport as critical drivers of its ambition to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn by 2031.
The government added that the initiatives are expected to boost tourism, attract investments, enhance agricultural exports, and position Enugu as the economic hub of the South-East.
The Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed this on Tuesday during the Renewed Hope Media Tour of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
According to Onyia, the airport project is part of a broader strategy by the administration of Governor Peter Mbah to position Enugu as a major economic hub driven by tourism, hospitality, agriculture, and private sector investments.
He said, “So under this government, Peter Mbah and the leadership of the President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the governor had approached the aviation sector to start the process of concessioning this airport, standing behind me, the international airport, in alignment with the broader vision for aviation tourism in Enugu State.
“The context is not just the concessioning. The context is that the governor looked at Enugu as an economic hub where tourism and the hospitality sector could be aligned.”
Onyia noted that the state government had developed projections around expected visitor traffic and the potential economic impact of the aviation sector.
He said, “So we thought if we were expecting three to five million visitors coming to Enugu, which was our projection, and this projection is not just something that we just came up with a number, we’re also looking at how the aviation sector complements our tourism and hospitality space by saying that this is the quantum of revenue of investment that can catalyse the growth towards our GDP because at inception what we had planned was to move the Enugu State GDP from $4.4bn, that His Excellency met it, to $30bn by 2031.”
The SSG explained that Enugu Air was conceived to ensure that the state was not entirely dependent on commercial airlines operating their own schedules into the state.
He said, “If we’re expecting them, then we can’t depend on third-party airlines to bring people to Enugu solely based on their schedule. That was how the Enugu Air concept came in, and you’ve seen some of our airplanes. We have six now, and this is just phase one, bringing in people into Enugu so that when visitors and tourists come to Enugu, they have access to airlines that can bring them in.”
According to him, the government’s economic blueprint also includes revitalising tourist attractions across the state to provide destinations for visitors arriving through the airport.
He stated, “The second component was also to now revitalise our tourism sector by creating our different tourism centers, the home waterfall, and the rest of them across the state.
“Now, if people are going to come here for tourism, they need to be able to get into Enugu, and when they get into Enugu, we’ll need places to go to.”
Onyia stated that the airport infrastructure would also support the state’s agricultural development agenda through cargo operations.
He said, “So you can see how the dots are being connected, and this is also in line with our agricultural plan. This is also going to help us with our agricultural investment outlook because this is where the cargo terminal will be, where we can move things in and out of the state to create that economic hub. Enugu State, being the center of the capital of the South-East, this is the thinking that you see behind it.”
He added that the government had adopted a private sector-led approach in the aviation sector to ensure efficiency and sustainability.
“What we don’t want is the whole stereotype of government getting into a space that they are not competent in, and that’s also how we started with Enugu Air. We had EasyJet partnered with them to build the capacity based on their experience to come in, and then now we have transferred it into a private sector-run business where the governance structure is set up, where there’s a board, and they’re competent people in it, not state actors that will come into a space they might not be competent in,” Onyia said.
Providing an update on the airport concession process, the SSG disclosed that October had been set as the timeline for the next phase of activities.
“October this year is our timeline like everything this government will send out timelines and then we have key deliverables within every quarter so today’s activity is one of the milestones that we’re supposed to achieve once that happens then we’ll move into real activities going on in here but today’s activity the concessionaire and their contractors can move into the site which is behind us,” he said.
Onyia also commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting the initiative and facilitating approvals through relevant federal agencies.
He said, “Without the vision of the President, without his clear support for the government of Enugu State and the South-East, the whole process would have continued to be on the drawing table like it was in past administrations.
“It was this President that had the courage to be able to say we will support an idea that can catalyse the economy of the South-East in support of what the governor had proposed so the President played a pivotal role in ensuring that he gave the right direction and authorisation to the people heading the different agencies from the Honourable Minister of Aviation who has been a big supporter of this government and of this idea to be able to push the other agencies under him that report to him to go through the due process and ensure that yes due process is achieved but at the end of the day that speed is of the essence where we get to the end of this whole process so the President has been very pivotal and supportive of the government of Enugu State and this project.”
The media tour was organised to showcase projects being implemented under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda across critical sectors of the economy.
The tour was led by the Presidential Communications Team, with Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
In January, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, signed a concession agreement with Aero Alliance for the operation of the Enugu airport after the Federal Executive Council approved the proposal in July 2025. The minister described the agreement as the culmination of a “long and tedious process” designed to reposition the airport as a catalyst for economic growth in the South-East.
The Enugu airport concession had generated widespread public interest following earlier reports about the Federal Government’s plans for the facility. However, the aviation ministry had clarified that the process would follow all regulatory requirements, including reviews by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and other relevant agencies, before final approval.
Under the arrangement, ownership of the airport remains with the Federal Government, while the private concessionaire is expected to operate, maintain and upgrade the facility to improve efficiency, boost regional connectivity, and unlock investment opportunities within the aviation ecosystem.
