The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State, Ramatu Tijjani -Aliyu has assured that the FCT Administration is committed to the establishment of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, as a step towards achieving the President’s agenda of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
Aliyu specifically assured that the FCT Administration would demonstrate its readiness in ensuring that the first zone is set up in the nation’s capital as a pilot scheme.
The Minister gave the commitment at the weekend in Abuja when a delegation of Africa Development Bank (AfDB) led by the Senior Special Advisor to the President of the bank on industrialization, Banji Oyeyinka, paid her a visit.
According to her, provision will be made in the proposed year 2020 budget and the FCT Administration will earmark up to 500 hectares of land to site the facility.
She further said the Administration would leverage on the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business strides, the new network of roads and rails, and Abuja expanded world-class airport, stressing that the FCT was traditionally strong in livestock, rice (cereals), horticulture, tubers, vegetables and varieties of economic trees.
“As the seat of power to the largest economy in Africa, the FCT-SAPZ will be a thing of pride to Mr. President.
“I look forward to briefing Mr. President soon that the FCTA is taking up the challenge to being the first to implement the SAPZ as a step towards achieving his agenda of lifting 100 million youth out of poverty”, Aliyu added.
Earlier, leader of delegation, Oyeyinka lamented that Africa had huge production lag when compared to Asian countries, warning that if Africa failed to improve, the continent would remain at the level of subsistence farming.
Oyeyinka who noted that post-harvest losses were extremely high in Africa, also called on FCT Administration to establish Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone that will create jobs for over 20, 000 youths.
He revealed that AfDB had identified six zones in Nigeria for the establishment of SAPZ, but not on geopolitical basis and identified lack of political will by the previous administration as the major setback for the takeoff of the project in Nigeria.
