Calabar

CALABAR- Vice President Kashim Shettima says the construction of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) across the country will diversify the nation’s economy, tackle rural unemployment, empower farmers and the youth population.

Shettima said this on Thursday when he performed the groundbreaking ceremony of SAPZ in Calabar, the River State Capital.

The Vice-President described the project as “a game changer” that aligns with the President Bola Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said the commencement of the construction of the SAPZ in Calabar, Cross River, was part of a nationwide drive to transform the agricultural sector and stimulate inclusive economic growth across Nigeria.

“There is no intervention more practical in our dream of a nation where the potential of agriculture is maximised than what’s brought us together today.

” This isn’t just a project—it’s a bold vision to transform Nigeria’s agricultural value chain,” Shettima said.

” The SAPZ initiative, supported with counterpart funding from development partners and the private sector, is designed to address challenges that have long hindered the growth of Nigeria’s agricultural economy.

” This includes inadequate processing infrastructure, limited access to markets, and rural unemployment.

“For far too long, our farmers have contended with poor infrastructure, lack of access to finance, and inadequate processing facilities.

” This zone is designed to confront those challenges head-on by creating an ecosystem where innovation, investment, and collaboration thrive,” he noted.

Shettima explained that the Calabar SAPZ would serve as a hub for agro-processing and storage, providing farmers and agripreneurs with critical infrastructure to scale their operations and tap into local and international markets.

“This is where farmers will meet with private investors, where ideas will turn into enterprise, and where our youth will find meaningful opportunities,” he said.

He disclosed that the Tinubu administration has classified SAPZ as a priority programme in Nigeria’s quest for food security, with plans to institutionalise it as a government agency for agricultural industrialisation across the 36 states.

“These zones will generate thousands of jobs. They will create opportunities for young people, empower them with skills and knowledge to engage in meaningful work and help them contribute positively to the economy,” he stated.

Shettima also expressed gratitude to key international development partners, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), for their support and belief in Nigeria’s vision.

The Vice-President commended Gov. Bassey Otu of the state for his collaboration, describing him as “a critical foundation for the success of this intervention and a great ally in development.”

Earlier, Otu said the programme marked a watershed in the ongoing bid by his administration to establish the renewable resource base of the state through the full utilisation of agriculture and its multiple value chain.

Otu pointed out that in Cross River the establishment of a cluster of smallholder farmers in cash crops such as rice, cassava, millet, and cocoa across the state is the right step towards the agro-industrial revolution.

He said the paradigm shift from a non-renewable to a renewable resource base also holds the key to the prosperity of many nations, hence the imperative to join the league of sub-nationals in Nigeria that have adopted agriculture as the mainstay of their economy.

“The deliverables of the envisaged projects are food security, diversification of the state economy towards export-oriented trajectory and increase in the State’s GDP.

” When these projects are fully operational there is an expected robust collaboration with reputable agro-based processing institutes, universities and the rest, aimed at accelerating breakthroughs in many agro-industrial production.”

Also, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said the programme would transform the agricultural production and agro-investment landscape in Nigeria under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Tinubu.

Kyari thanked the Vice-President for his leadership and political backing at the highest level in the implementation of the SAPZ in Nigeria.

He also commended the Governor of Cross River for his commitment to ensuring that the state is among the front-runners that would commence the construction of their Agro-Industrial Processing Hub.

In his remark, President of AfDB, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, reiterated the bank’s pledge to mobilise $2.2 billion to execute the SAPZ project in 28 states across Nigeria.

Adesina observed that Cross River has a significant role to play in Nigeria’s agricultural transformation because of the vast production of cocoa, cassava, rice and banana, saying Obudu Cattle Ranch alone can turn the state into a huge livestock producer.

He also acknowledged that the state is ideal for SAPZ because it has an export processing zone, ports facility, and export handling capabilities.

He added that the SAPZ in Calabar can be linked to the seaport for the transportation of processed agricultural commodities to the export market in neighbouring countries, including Cameroon.

“The African Development Bank, as you know, is spearheading this together with our partners, which include the Islamic Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and we have put together $934 million from the African Development Bank, with core financing of $938 million from these partners.

“The first phase of SAPZ in Nigeria will be in eight states of Cross River, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Imo and the Federal Capital Territory. We are delighted with our partnership with the Islamic Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

“We have put together a financing package of $510 million to make this work. We expect, in the second phase of this, to mobilise $2.2 billion to be able to work for 28 states across the federation with several partners,” the AfDB President said. (NAN)