General Electric (GE) manufacturing and Assembly plant in Calabar, the cross river state capital is to commenced production of packaging and services for gas turbines, compressors and pump by 1st quarter of 2018.
GE also plans to invest a $250 million capital expenditure that will make Nigeria a regional hub for the manufacturing services and innovation with improved ability to support a broader range of product lines in power generation as well as oil and gas exploration.
The planned investment is expected to create 2300 jobs of which will be direct and the remaining 2000 jobs indirect created through supplies that will support its expanded operations.
Chief executive officer (CEO) of GE Nigeria Lazarus Angbazo disclosed this at the Calabar Free Trade Zone (CFTZ) over the weekend during a facility tour by the U.S Ambassador to Nigeria James Entwistle who was in the state for an on the spot assessment of American investment in the state.
Angbazo who is also the president of American Business Council in Nigeria said the Calabar plant is one of GE’s biggest investment in sub Sahara Africa till date , and only the second of its kind in the world.
He said the investment is over the next five years and is aimed at strengthening GE local presence in Nigeria, creating direct and indirect jobs through supplier development, and technology transfer.
According to Angbazo the investment will significantly increase the local content of GE operations in Nigeria by increasing local ownership of equipment in the country project execution expertise and use of local legal, financial and engineering services.
In 2013, former vice president Namadi Sambo performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the $1 billion investment facility plant by GE and in 2014 the company named Julius Berger Nigeria Ltd the main contractor for the multimodal factory and training center.
MIKE ABANG
