The African Development Bank (AfDB) has selected Ogun among the states that will benefit in the first phase of the Special Agro-Processing Zones (SAPZ) in Nigeria. The AfDB President, Akinwunmi Adesina, disclosed this when he received four Nigerian governors and the chief executive officer of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in Abidjan.
Those in attendance were Governors Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna State, and Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, NSIA chief, Uche Orji, and the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Mahmood Abubakar.
Remarking, Adesina noted that it was expedient that plans be made after co-financing and approving of a $210 million loan for agro-industrial processing zones in Kano, Oyo, Kaduna, Imo, Cross River, Ogun, and Kwara state.
He said, “The special agro-industrial processing zones will be game-changers for agriculture in Nigeria. They will provide world-class infrastructure to support food businesses to locate close to zones of production, develop competitive value chains supported by logistic systems that will drive food processing and value addition.
“The SAPZs will help create massive wealth and jobs in rural areas and turn rural areas away from being zones of economic misery to zones of economic prosperity “President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to preside over a ceremony in February to officially launch the first phase of the SAPZ programme in Nigeria.”
The presidents of the African Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and International Fund for Agricultural Development ( IFAD), and various investors are also expected to be present.
Speaking, El-Rufai, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, expressed great enthusiasm for the SAPZs programme while urging his peers to take advantage of its value for development and growth. He said, “We are committed to the SAPZs program, all of us as governors, and I speak also on behalf of the President of Nigeria.”
On his part, Governor Abiodun extolled the many pluses of their states as investment hubs. He said, “This promises to be a very successful and transformational initiative, for Ogun State and the country. This initiative is an important step toward reducing unemployment, a challenge that we face in Ogun State with the growing number of educated young people that are completing their studies with no jobs. There is a nexus between unemployment and insecurity.” Remarking, the NSIA managing director said agriculture was a key focus area of his agency and pledged to work with the governors to ensure that procurement is done professionally and on time.
