The Enugu State Government has commissioned a $20 million ICT manufacturing factory developed by China’s Haier Group, with plans already underway to scale total investment in the state to $30 million.
The Enugu Haier Factory, inaugurated on Saturday by Governor Peter Mbah, will manufacture smartphones, tablets, computers, smart boards, Android TVs, medical equipment, and renewable energy solutions for sectors including education, health, agriculture, and transportation.
Sun Yongle, Haier’s Vice President, said the plant has an annual production capacity of 200,000 units across its product lines and will initially create about 100 jobs, expanding to more than 200 positions as operations scale.
The state government provided land and built the factory structures, while also placing offtake orders for over 25,000 all-in-one desktop computers and 300,000 tablets to support its 260 Smart Green Schools initiative, a move designed to anchor the investment and deepen local capacity.
The project adds to Enugu’s growing portfolio of foreign direct investments (FDIs), including an electric vehicle assembly plant by Stallion Group in Owo and the Nortra Tractor Assembly Plant and Service Centre by Denmark’s ODK Group.
Governor Mbah said the factory aligns with his administration’s goal of transforming Enugu into a premier investment and knowledge hub, targeting a $30 billion state economy, up from $4.4 billion.
“This partnership brings vision, innovation, and opportunity together,” he said. “Devices used in our schools and critical industries will now be made here in Enugu. That reduces costs, strengthens sustainability, and builds local capacity.”
He added that the factory would serve as a hands-on training hub for vocational and technical institutions, stimulate small and medium-scale enterprises, and support technology transfer.
Sun Yongle disclosed that the factory represents only the first phase of Haier’s investment in Enugu.
“We expect our total investment in Enugu State to exceed $30 million,” he said, noting that the company is exploring opportunities in agriculture, mining, and transportation, including sesame processing, coal development, and tricycle assembly.
Haier, which recorded global revenue exceeding $60 billion in 2025, also plans to establish a local Research and Development centre and a training facility to provide free training and internship opportunities for students in the state.
“Our goal is for products to be not only Made-in-Enugu, but also designed in Enugu, with management and technical teams largely composed of local professionals,” Yongle added.
Kingsley Udeh, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, said the project aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and its ambition to grow Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy.
“The President fully supports this initiative because it strengthens innovation, industrialisation, and technical education,” he said.
Ndubueze Mbah, Education Commissioner described the factory’s completion within 18 months as proof of the administration’s commitment to skills-based education, while students and trainees at the event hailed the project as a source of renewed hope for young people in the state.
