The African Development Bank (AfDB) and its development partners have announced plans to mobilise over $520 million to co-finance the first phase of the Nigeria Special Agro-industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ).
The Director General, Nigeria Country Department, AfDB, Lamin Barrow, said the programme, which will be implemented in phases across six the geo-political zones in Nigeria would also be rolled out in 18 other African countries.
The Nigeria SAPZ programme consists of four mutually reinforcing components – infrastructure development and agro-industrial hubs management; agriculture productivity and production; policy and institutional development; and programme coordination and management.
At a high-level briefing session, the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning Dr. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, who hosted the meeting, reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to put in place enabling policies and incentives to attract private sector investment in the zones, to ensure successful implementation.
Ahmed said all 36 States in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory would be eligible to participate in the SAPZ programme.
“In addition to the Federal Capital Territory and 7 states – Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Imo, Cross River, Ogun and Oyo – participating in Phase 1, several other states have indicated interest in the SAPZ programme. These include Bauchi, Lagos, Niger, Jigawa, Ekiti, Lagos, Taraba, Benue, Sokoto, Ondo, Nasarawa, Gombe and Kogi, “she added.
She expressed overwhelming support for the initiative aimed at developing priority value chains through developing infrastructure in rural areas, focused on finishing and transforming raw materials and commodities.
