The Enugu State Government has said it is deliberately laying the foundation for a $30 billion, innovation-powered economy, as it showcased the maiden edition of the Enugu Campus Hackathon as a key pillar of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s digital transformation agenda.
Speaking on the initiative, the Special Adviser on Digital Economy and MSMEs and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Enugu MSME & Startup Agency (Enugu SME Center), Mr Arinze Chilo-Offiah, described the hackathon as more than a student competition.
“What we witnessed at the maiden edition of the Enugu Campus Hackathon was not just a competition, it was Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s Digital Transformation Strategy in action,” he said.
According to him, the event brought together young innovators from over 35 tertiary institutions across the state, who presented practical, technology-driven solutions spanning artificial intelligence, fintech, logistics, deeptech, sustainability and enterprise systems.
Through structured campus rounds, a rigorous bootcamp and a grand finale held at the International Conference Centre, he noted that participants were able to refine their ideas from classroom concepts into venture-ready enterprises.
“This is intentional leadership,” Chilo-Offiah stated.
He explained that Governor Mbah has consistently emphasised the need for Enugu to move away from a consumption-driven economic model to one anchored on productivity and innovation.
“His Excellency has made it clear that Enugu must transition from a consumption-driven structure to a productivity-led, innovation-powered economy. A $30 billion vision requires systems that unlock talent, support enterprise, attract capital, and drive measurable productivity,” he said.
Chilo-Offiah further disclosed that through the Enugu MSME & Startup Agency, also known as the Enugu SME Center, the state government is institutionalising innovation by identifying talent early, strengthening execution capacity, connecting founders to funding opportunities and embedding them within a broader ecosystem of digital infrastructure, startup policy reform and structured financing pathways.
He added that the Enugu Campus Hackathon has now been institutionalised as a biannual, state-backed platform to ensure continuity and measurable impact.
“The Enugu Campus Hackathon is now institutionalised as a biannual State-backed platform, because sustainable growth requires continuity and structure,” he said.
Reaffirming the administration’s vision, Chilo-Offiah declared: “Enugu is not waiting for the future economy. We are engineering it.”
