The Federal government has stated that its collaboration with the African development Bank will enhance the industrialization of secondary cities, reduce importation of foods and rural-urban migration.
While opening a two-day Special Agro-processing zones Inception workshop in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, also stressed that agricultural mechanization is key to achieving the success of the project.
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He recalled that the meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina in April 2019, led to the momentum in the development of SAPZs in Nigeria.
“We have the issue of research of good seeds, agricultural mechanisation to improve yield and extension workers.
“Unless we have these issues right we cannot improve agriculture.
“The project will create wealth, reduce political and social tension and create jobs,” he said.
Senior Director, Regional Programme officer, RDNG, AFDB, Mr Ebirima Faal, said the bank has offered about 500 million dollars for the project. However, he called on other partners to join the initiative.
He noted that the money will be in form of loan and the repayment is according to standard bank policy.
Also speaking, Prof. Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Senior Special Adviser on Industrialisation, AfDB, noted that the project which is in two phases is to take place across the six geopolitical zones. He said four sites in the North, North central in states like Niger, Benue, South-west, South-South and South-East have been allocated.
‘’We want to adopt productivity enhancement measures like that of Korea and other developed countries. The project is a big multiplier effect.
‘’Hopefully by August, the money will be released and funding will take place. For the first phase, 18 states are almost involved in the four zones while others will take place in 2021.
‘’small holder farmers will be included in this project and they will be aggregated into groups so that we can actualize the objective of the programme.
He noted that the project will create both direct and indirect employment in the zones.
‘’for each zone we are talking about 20-45 direct jobs that comprise suppliers, intermediate suppliers and then to the downstream which include marketing, packaging, among others.
The project will also involve implementation partners from Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing system for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Bank of Industry (BOI), Bank of Agriculture (BOA), among others.
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