ENUGU State Governor, Peter Mbah, has said that the global economy is undergoing an unprecedented renaissance driven by technology, with ideas, codes, and data now replacing physical assets as the primary drivers of value.
He stated that Enugu State is deliberately being repositioned as a technology and innovation hub to achieve a resource-based economy and digital leadership.

Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Enugu Tech Festival at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, the governor said the event represents a validation of the state’s ambition to become a credible node in Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
“This is not just another tech conference. It is a reinforcement of intent,” Mbah told a gathering of innovators, investors, students, and policymakers.

Citing companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta, Mbah said technology has become the operating system of modern life, reshaping commerce, governance and human relationships.
Speaking on the theme of the festival, ‘Coal to Code: Energy in New Form’, which was drawn from Enugu’s history as Nigeria’s coal capital, he recalled that production peaked at nearly one million tonnes yearly in the early 1960s, powering industries across West Africa.

He, however, observed that much of the value generated from coal accumulated elsewhere, warning against repeating that pattern in the digital age.
“Today, the resource is inside us,” he said, referring to human capital. “The question is whether we will export raw potential or build systems that retain value here.”

Mbah stressed that innovation, not mere invention, drives sustainable economic advantage.
Referencing Netflix, Airbnb, and Uber, he said global disruptors succeed by solving everyday problems rather than chasing abstract breakthroughs.

Sharing his experience in the oil and gas sector, he explained how eliminating operational inefficiencies enabled his company to grow from zero market share to industry leadership through business model innovation.