The Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo revealed that rolling out of the Special-Agro Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme is set to commence in Ogun, Oyo, Imo, Cross River, Kano, Kaduna, Kwara, and the FCT in its first phase.
The Vice President disclosed this in a statement on Friday evening, citing that the scheme will enable Nigeria achieve sustainability and increased trade.
What the Vice President said
- The expansion and growth of Nigeria’s agricultural sector remains a top priority of the administration, and SAPZ will play a crucial role in helping us achieve our goal of sustainability and increased trade.
- Partnering with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other stakeholders, the programme will concentrate on agro-processing activities in demarcated areas to boost productivity and integrate production, processing and marketing of selected commodities.
- The first phase, set to kick off soon, will involve 7 states: Ogun, Oyo, Imo, Cross River, Kano, Kaduna, Kwara, and the FCT. However, down the line, 140 such centres will be created across the country.
The Vice President added that the centres will be equipped with basic infrastructure such as water and electricity as well as facilities for skill training and also enable smallholder farmers to have access to a much larger value chain.
What you should know
With financing to be provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) is an integrated development initiative aimed at concentrating agro-processing activities within areas of high agricultural potential to boost productivity and integrate production, processing and marketing of selected commodities.
William this is a statement by the Press of the VP, NOT a direct statement from the VP. Your headline is misleading and attribution should be to the SSA Media. If the statement you quoted was reported to have been the words of the VP then you will be in order. Please correct this. Regards