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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has handed over the Digital Industrial Park and the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), to the Enugu State Government on a 15-year operational lease agreement.

The two digital assets were officially transferred to the state government during a ceremony at the Government House, Enugu, on Tuesday.

Speaking during the signing of the agreement, Dr Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, said the facilities were among six digital industrial parks established across the country to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and human capital development.
He explained that the facilities were designed to deepen digital skills, support startups, attract investments and create jobs.
Maida said it would also position Nigeria as a competitive destination for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) and other technology-enabled services.

According to him, the infrastructure was built not merely as physical assets but as platforms for developing the people and enterprises that would drive Nigeria’s digital economy.

Maida stressed that infrastructure only delivered value when effectively utilised, noting that innovation was driven by people, ideas and entrepreneurs working in partnership.
“The success of these facilities will not be measured by the quality of the buildings or equipment, but by the skills acquired, ideas developed, businesses created and jobs generated,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the Enugu State Government had demonstrated the vision and commitment needed to maximise the facilities through investments in education, innovation, infrastructure and digital capacity.
The executive vice chairman said the partnership would support Enugu’s ambition to become a leading destination for digital services, Artificial Intelligence (AI), startup incubation, outsourcing, research and technology-enabled enterprises.
He added that the collaboration aligned with the Federal Government’s digital economy agenda and President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which sought to build a $1 trillion economy driven by productivity, innovation and private sector growth.

He emphasised that Nigeria’s digital future would require collaboration among the Federal and state governments, the private sector, academia and development partners.

Responding, Gov. Peter Mbah described the handover as a historic milestone that would position Enugu as Nigeria’s leading digital economy hub through strategic investments in artificial intelligence, digital innovation and talent development.
He announced that the Digital Industrial Park would be transformed into the Enugu Talent City, a knowledge-driven outsourcing hub providing Business Process Outsourcing and Knowledge Process Outsourcing services.

According to the governor, the initiative would enable talented young people in the state to provide services to global companies without leaving Enugu.
Mbah also disclosed that the Digital Bridge Institute would be upgraded into a world-class AI Institute and an AI certification centre serving the African continent.

“We see these assets as facilities that will deepen innovation in our state, unlock opportunities, create employment and position Enugu as a leading digital economy in this country,” he said.

The governor noted that artificial intelligence was projected to contribute about $20 trillion to the global economy by 2030, stressing the need to equip Nigerian youths with relevant digital skills to compete globally.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to Mbah on SMEs and Digital Economy, Mr Arinze Chilo-Offia, said the handover would enhance growing partnership between the Enugu State Government and the NCC.

Chilo-Offia thanked the NCC leadership for entrusting the facilities to the state, describing the collaboration as a major boost to Enugu’s ambition of becoming Nigeria’s premier destination for digital innovation, technology-driven investment and high-value employment.

Also speaking, a Non-Executive Commissioner of the NCC, Mr Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, expressed confidence in the Enugu State Government’s capacity to maximise the facilities to advance Nigeria’s digital economy.

He said that both facilities were university-sized and strategically located along the Enugu-Ugwogo Expressway and the GRA Expressway.
Offiah said that they would serve as major centres for innovation, digital skills development and economic growth in the state.

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Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has called for a shift away from over-reliance on oil revenue, urging both local and foreign investors to take advantage of opportunities in agriculture, energy, transportation, the blue economy, solid minerals and digital innovation.

Speaking at the close of the second day of the 2026 Delta State Economic and Investment Summit in Asaba, the governor said the state must broaden its economic base to achieve sustainable growth, create jobs and improve living standards.

He said discussions at the summit highlighted Delta State’s vast but largely untapped potential across several non-oil sectors, including agriculture and livestock, energy, transportation, the blue economy, solid minerals, digital innovation and investment-friendly legal reforms.

“We can no longer depend on one source of revenue. We must diversify our economy by attracting strategic investments into sectors where Delta State has a clear comparative advantage. That is the pathway to creating jobs, growing businesses and improving the quality of life of our people,” Oborevwori said.

The governor explained that the summit was designed as a private sector-led initiative, with government playing the role of facilitator by connecting investors with viable opportunities capable of delivering long-term value.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to creating a conducive business environment through investor-friendly policies, infrastructure development, improved security and stronger collaboration with the private sector.

Oborevwori also disclosed that the state had acquired suitable land and taken other strategic measures to attract investments into priority sectors. He added that investment promotion missions had already been conducted in countries including China and Brazil to market Delta’s economic opportunities.

According to him, the summit has gone beyond policy discussions to become a practical platform for linking investors with viable projects and converting investment interests into real business ventures.

He expressed confidence that the partnerships and commitments made during the summit would translate into concrete investments capable of driving industrial growth, generating employment and positioning Delta among Nigeria’s leading investment destinations.

During the technical sessions, resource persons identified agriculture, livestock development, mining, the blue economy and investment-friendly legal reforms as key sectors with strong potential to attract long-term investments.

Speaking at the agriculture, agribusiness and agro-industry panel, former South-South Vice President of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Chief Eta Enahoro, urged the state government to invest more in fish and poultry production, describing both industries as major drivers of job creation and economic transformation.

He said that with the right support, many young people seeking political appointments could become successful entrepreneurs through commercial poultry and fish farming.

Brazilian agribusiness investor Roberto Fonseca announced plans to collaborate with the Delta State Government on an integrated cattle and beef value chain covering breeding, ranching, abattoirs, meat processing, cold storage, refrigerated logistics and distribution.

Fonseca said Delta’s climate and environmental conditions closely resemble those that helped Brazil become a global leader in cattle and beef production, adding that the partnership could position the state as a major livestock hub for Nigeria and neighbouring African countries.

At the session on the blue economy and transport infrastructure, Dr. Uche Igwe called on the state government to tackle illegal and unregulated fishing in order to maximise the economic potential of its waterways.

Managing Director of Mosra Energy, Ramos Olukayode, disclosed that Delta State has more than 200 million tonnes of coal deposits in Obomkpa, Ugbodu and Ukunzu, which he said exceed the reserves found in Enugu and Kogi states.

He described the deposits as a significant resource that could support industrial expansion and revealed plans to establish a 600-megawatt power plant in Obomkpa, noting that more than 200 hectares of land had already been secured for the project.

Olukayode added that the area also has substantial deposits of kaolin and clay that could support manufacturing activities within the proposed industrial cluster.

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Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has called for stronger security cooperation between the Economic Community of West African States and the Alliance of Sahel States to combat terrorism, insurgency and transnational crimes across the region.

Musa made the call on Tuesday during a three-day working visit to Cotonou, Benin Republic, where he is holding talks aimed at harmonising regional defence strategies and strengthening security cooperation.

According to a statement by his media aide, Leah Katung-Babatunde, the minister said West Africa’s complex security challenges required an inclusive and coordinated regional response.

He urged the leadership of ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States to find common ground to curb the spread of insurgency across land borders and improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.

“There is a need for a unified security alliance between the ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States to defeat terrorism, dismantle cross-border criminal networks, and restore regional stability. ECOWAS and AES leadership should find a common ground to insulate land borders from insurgent spillover and strengthen maritime security along the Gulf of Guinea., ” he was quoted as saying.

Musa who was received at Cotonou International Airport by Benin’s Minister of National Defence, Gildas Agonkan.

Agonkan commended Nigeria for what he described as its leadership role in promoting peace and stability in West Africa, citing the country’s interventions in support of democratic governance in the sub-region.

He also praised the performance of the Nigerian Army contingent that participated in Benin’s National Day parade on August 1, describing Nigeria as an indispensable partner in the fight against transnational crime.

During the visit, Musa met with Nigerian troops stationed at Togbin, where he conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving troop welfare, enhancing operational effectiveness and strengthening the capacity of the armed forces.

The minister also visited the Nigeria House in Cotonou, where he was received by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic, Mopelola Ibrahim.

The ambassador said Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement with Benin remained focused on expanding bilateral trade and strengthening joint border surveillance to tackle emerging security threats.

The Alliance of Sahel States comprises Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, three military-led countries that withdrew from ECOWAS after disagreements with the regional bloc over sanctions and the timeline for returning to civilian rule.

The three countries formally exited ECOWAS on January 29, 2025, and have since deepened military, political and economic cooperation under the AES framework.

Despite their political differences, both blocs face common security threats, including terrorism, violent extremism, insurgency, arms trafficking and other cross-border crimes, particularly in the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea.