Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo on Friday said his administration is set to meet all requirements for the establishment of a special agro-industrial processing zone (SAPZ) in the state.
The zone is expected to process maize, cassava, rice, palm oil, cashew, sugarcane and fish.
Ododo spoke about the SAPZ when he hosted a delegation from the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security which had earlier visited the state to undertake an assessment tour of the proposed project site in Kogi.
The project, which is an initiative of the AfDB, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Kogi State Government, is expected to attract significant foreign and domestic private sector investment into the state.
Ododo noted that the state government has already allocated 254 hectares of land in Ukpake, Ajaokuta Local Government Area for the purpose of the special agro-industrial processing zone, stressing that the decision to establish the agro-industrial processing zone in the area was due to the strategic location and its proximity to essential resources such as water supply, electricity, gas, a railway line linking Kogi and a number of states and the proposed international cargo airport in Adogo which is a few kilometers from the proposed site of the agro-industrial facility.
The governor assured the delegation that his administration would do everything possible to provide the enabling environment for the selection of the state and the eventual take-off of the project, stressing that it is in line with his administration’s policy on industrialisation and to guarantee food security through investment in agriculture.
He further noted that such investment in the agricultural value chain will increase productivity, provide access to market for farmers and provide job opportunities for the teeming population of the state.
The governor commended the AfDB for the initiative which he said would enhance job creation and guarantee food security in Kogi and Nigeria at large.
In his remarks, Bashir Gaya, who led the AfDB delegation, said the assessment tour is intended to verify the readiness of states to be selected in the second phase for establishment of the SAPZ in Nigeria, which he noted are being implemented in 18 countries across Africa.
He disclosed that the first phase in Nigeria, covering seven states including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has commenced, adding that the team was in Kogi to asses the state’s readiness as a possible beneficiary in the second phase of the project.
In their separate remark, the state commissioner for finance, budget and economic planning, Ashiru Idris, assured of the political will by the state government to see to the realisation of the project while his counterpart in the ministry of agriculture and food security, Timothy Ojomah said the proposed agro-industrial processing facility will be supported by adequate and reliable supply of raw materials and semi-processed agricultural produce from the state agricultural transformation centres in Alape, Anyigba and Osara.
