Enugu unveils 25-yr development plan to sustain growth, infrastructure

The Enugu State Government says it is developing a 25-year state plan to sustain its growth, infrastructure, and development beyond the tenure of the present administration.

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Governor Peter Mbah, represented by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chidiebere Onyia, said this on Wednesday in Enugu at the 2026 Global Goals Week Symposium.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the symposium organised by the State Office of Sustainable Development Goals had the theme: “From Projects to Lasting Impacts.”

Mr Mbah said the plan was designed to move the state from development centred mainly on individual projects and administrations to one embedded in institutions, policies, systems, and long-term planning.

He said the plan would provide a framework for successive administrations to sustain and improve development across the economy, education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, the environment, technology, and human capital development.

According to him, development should not start afresh whenever there is a change in government, stressing that policies, institutions, and systems should be strengthened to preserve the gains.

He said the plan would also be based on credible data, measurable indicators and effective monitoring mechanisms to determine the impact of government investments.

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“The 25-year plan is intended to provide clear direction within which successive administrations can sit within a much broader vision for the state. This is how we create continuity,” he said.

Mr Mbah said the sustainability of infrastructure such as smart schools and healthcare facilities would depend not only on their construction but also on adequate staffing, maintenance, financing, and technology and management systems.

He said that roads should be viewed as economic corridors that connect communities, expand access to markets and create opportunities for residents, rather than merely as physical infrastructure.

Mr Mbah said the state was also strengthening digital governance to improve transparency, traceability, and accountability, adding that reliable data would be critical to measuring progress under the 25-year plan.

He called for greater citizen ownership of public infrastructure and urged residents to protect government projects because they belonged to them.

Remarks by a UNICEF official

Also speaking, Juliet Chiluwe, UNICEF Chief, Enugu Field Office, said sustainable development should be measured by the extent to which projects continue to improve people’s lives after completion.

Ms Chiluwe said UNICEF was concerned about investments in children, including their education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, social protection, and child protection.

She said the lasting impact of such investments would be seen when children could attend school regularly, learn effectively, complete their education and contribute meaningfully to society.

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According to her, health infrastructure will only produce lasting benefits when supported by skilled health workers, essential supplies, adequate financing and strong systems.

She called for a shift “from projects to programmes to systems and from outputs to outcomes,” stressing that sustainability should be considered from the beginning of every development intervention.

Praise for Mbah

A former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Frank Nweke Jr, praised Mr Mbah’s administration for infrastructure delivery.

Mr Nweke urged the government to focus on translating its ongoing projects into lasting development that directly improves residents’ lives.

He stressed the need to link major investments to defined development challenges and measurable outcomes.

The minister said the state should deliberately integrate the SDGs into its planning, budgeting, and performance measurement, while focusing on outcomes rather than on expenditure and completed projects.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to Mr Mbah on SDGs, Onyinye Akubuilo-Okpalanma, said development should not be measured only by the number of projects completed or infrastructure delivered, but by the lasting impact on people’s lives.

She said the impact should be seen in improved learning environments for children, increased economic opportunities for young people and women, improved agricultural productivity and better access to essential services.

Mrs Akubuilo-Okpalanma urged participants at the symposium to provide practical solutions and measurable pathways for sustaining the state’s development transformation.

The governor’s aide urged stronger collaboration among government, the private sector, development partners, academia, civil society organisations, communities and young people to sustain development gains in the state.

(NAN)