Farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago took a giant step in revolutionizing the agricultural value chain in Nigeria by signing a $684 million contract agreement with China Overseas Engineering Group Company Limited (COVEC) and China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) to develop 50,000 hectares of land for a Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) in Niger State.
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To sign the agreement, the Governor sent a delegation, led by the Secretary to the State Government, after completing all the processes to finalize the deal.
This long-term investment will revolutionize the agricultural sector, guarantee food security, create thousands of jobs, and stimulate economic opportunities and growth in Niger State.
Niger State is among the first few states to sign up for this agricultural initiative provided by the African Development Bank to positively catalyze agricultural development in Africa into an internationally competitive sector and an important contributor to sustainable development, working with both governments and the private sector to turn the rural landscape into economic zones of prosperity by harnessing the power of commercial agriculture and food production.
The Niger State SAPZ programs will promote increased productivity, job creation, value addition, efficient storage practices, market access, and increased private sector investment in select agricultural value chain commodities. The focus is on promoting commodities and essential crops in Niger State with high potential to boost export revenues.
The multi-million-dollar Niger State-SAPZ program will be designed to enhance complementarity with existing or completed agricultural projects already commended by the current administration of Governor Bago, including those in the roads, power, transport, water, and agriculture sectors.