The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Enugu State Government have signed a 15-year lease agreement for the commission’s Digital Industrial Park and Learning Centre in Enugu State. Under the deal, the state government will take over and upgrade the facilities into the Enugu Talent City and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute as part of Governor Peter Mbah’s digital economy agenda.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Aminu Maida said the partnership supports the Federal Government’s goal of growing Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy through productivity, innovation and private sector-led growth. He noted that the facilities were created to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and human capital development, adding that buildings alone do not create innovation, but people, ideas and partnerships do.
Maida also praised Mbah’s investments in education, infrastructure, innovation and digital capacity, saying the state was well positioned to deliver on the purpose for which the facilities were established. He described the governor’s Smart Green Schools initiative as proof that the administration is preparing the state for the future through technology-enabled learning, robotics and AI.
On his part, Mbah said artificial intelligence could add about $20 trillion to the global economy by 2030, stressing that Enugu must ensure its young people are not left behind. He said the state wants its talents to serve the global economy from Enugu rather than physically leaving the country, and said the facilities would help create jobs and opportunities for young people.
The governor added that the state plans to transform the Digital Bridge Institute into a world-class AI institute and reposition the Digital Industrial Park, including efforts to make it an AI certification centre for Africa. He expressed confidence that the NCC would later be proud of the decision to hand over the assets temporarily.
Arinze Chilo-Ofia, Special Adviser to the Governor on Digital Economy and MSMEs, thanked the Federal Government and NCC for entrusting the state with the two facilities, and said the government would work to activate and optimize them for the purposes they were originally built to serve.
