Enugu government, CWEIC seal trade agreement

The Enugu State Government and the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) on Thursday, signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at accelerating trade and investment inflow in the state.

Rosie Glazebrook, CEO, CWEIC, during the partnership signing ceremony at the Government House, Enugu, expressed the organisation’s readiness to support the investment drive of Governor Peter Mbah’s administration.

She also used the forum to convey a letter to the governor as a co-chair of the Governors Roundtable at the 2025 edition of Commonwealth Trade and Investment Summit coming up in London in April.

She described Governors Roundtable as a centrepiece of the forthcoming 2025 Commonwealth Trade and Investment Summit in London that would bring together business leaders and top government officials from the 56 Commonwealth nations and thanked Mbah for accepting the invitation to co-chair the session.

“We are delighted to sign the strategic partnership with the governor. We work primarily with the private sector, businesses. Our organisation is there to drive trade and investment. We do this with very excellent convening power and we will bring this to bear in our partnership with Enugu State,” Glazebrook said.

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“Our organisation is there to support and collaborate to showcase anything that Enugu is ready to offer in investment and trade. Our aim is to look out for how we can bring down barriers to trade and to encourage investment”.

CWEIC is a commercial, not-for-profit membership organisation, which has the official mandate from the Commonwealth Heads of Government to facilitate trade and investment throughout the 56 Commonwealth member nations, using its convening power and trusted network of the Commonwealth.

In his response, Governor Mbah said that the strategic partnership deal with CWEIC was very much in line with his administration’s humongous projection to grow Enugu State’s economy exponentially from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.

“We know that we cannot wish that growth into existence. Instead, we need to take steps. We have to do things deliberately and we have to be very intentional; which is why we see the partnership with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council as strategic.

“The value of this strategic partnership cannot be lost on us because we see it as a platform that will enable us to tap in. We have over 140 private sector partners. Whether it is partnership between the government and business or between government and government, we see you as that channel that would give us access.

“So, we are truly looking forward to the opportunities that this partnership brings. I have received your invitation and I can tell you that it is truly an honor to be able to participate in your investment summit next year and to co-chair your Governors Roundtable,” he said.