Kogi Unveils Tech Free Trade Zone, Targets $2–$5bn FDI In 7 Years

The Kogi State government yesterday stepped onto the global economic stage with the unveiling of the Ajaokuta Economic City, the Kogi-Hunan Free Trade Zone (FTZ), a project expected to transform Nigeria’s industrial sector and projected to attract $2–$5 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country over the next seven years.

At a ceremony that brought together federal leaders, investors and a high-level Chinese delegation, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo unveiled a future-focused vision, signalling the official takeoff of the federally approved Free Trade Zone and Kogi’s readiness for technology-driven industrial growth.

Governor Ododo, described the day as a monumental milestone in the economic evolution of the state, declaring that the unveiling represents the birth of a new economic engine that will power job creation, industrial growth, international trade integration, and technological advancement for decades to come.
He expressed deep gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his swift approval of the FTZ, a gesture he said reflects the President’s unwavering commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda and to positioning Kogi State as the industrial heart of Nigeria. This support, he emphasised, underscores not just federal confidence but a shared national commitment to unlocking the full potential of the Confluence State.

He said, “The scale and strategic placement of the Ajaokuta Economic City are extraordinary. On a vast 4,000-hectare expanse within the Ajaokuta industrial corridor, the Free Trade Zone stands at the intersection of Nigeria’s most important logistical routes , bordered by ten states and the Federal Capital Territory, anchored by the Ajaokuta-Itakpe-Warri rail line, the Geregu power nexus, and more than 250 navigable waterways converging near the world-famous Niger–Benue confluence.

“Today, we unveil the Ajaokuta Economic City, a project whose scale, purpose, and transformative potential places it among the most visionary economic undertakings in our nation’s history,” Governor Ododo said.

He explained that the Free Trade Zone was the result of rigorous, multi-level engagements, including technical evaluations and consultations with the Zhuzhou Municipal Government of Hunan Province, Nigeria’s institutional partners, and private-sector stakeholders.

Governor Ododo also announced that the state had designed a dedicated security architecture for the Ajaokuta Economic City.

“For my administration, security remains an uncompromising priority. We have strengthened intelligence operations, enhanced surveillance systems, and deepened collaboration with national security agencies.

The Ajaokuta Economic City will operate under a dedicated security framework to protect lives, infrastructure, and capital,” he said.

He emphasised that investment can only thrive in secure environments and affirmed Kogi’s determination to guarantee this at every stage of the project’s development.

Using the unveiling to address critics questioning the visibility of his administration’s achievements, Governor Ododo said, “Our projects are not audio. This is what we are doing in Kogi State. Some people are making noise, claiming Ododo is neither talking nor working. I am not here to blow my trumpet, but with less than three years left in office, my mission is to serve my people.”

He invited journalists and stakeholders to Kogi starting January 3 for what he described as an unprecedented three-week inspection and commissioning tour. “I am not asking you to colour your perspective. Whatever you see, report it. We will walk together, feet to feet, to inspect and commission projects. We are running an open government,” he added.

Governor Ododo concluded by expressing gratitude to development partners, investors, and citizens, describing the Ajaokuta Economic City as “a seed of generational prosperity” that will position Kogi as a major industrial and commercial hub in Nigeria.

“Coupled with the state’s immense mineral wealth, robust agricultural production, and its symbolic historical heritage, Kogi is poised to become a new continental manufacturing base where natural advantage meets deliberate vision, he added.

Speaking on the global significance of the Ajaokuta Economic City, the Chinese delegation, led by Li Zhensheng from the Zhuzhou Municipality of Hunan Province, reaffirmed China’s commitment to the partnership , recalling how Shenzhen transformed from an empty landscape into a global benchmark of industrial and technological advancement, adding that the Kogi–Hunan Free Trade Zone was now moving along that same path of ambition and determination.

Zhensheng said the collaboration under the Kogi–Hunan Sister Province Relationship is a strategic long-term investment in industrial development, technology transfer and trade expansion.
He described the Ajaokuta Economic City as “a flagship cooperation project with massive potential for joint prosperity.”

In his words, Kogi State under Governor Ododo has achieved breakthroughs “faster than China’s well-known development speed. He cited the rapid licensing of the zone, the establishment of a sister-city partnership with Zhuzhou in Hunan Province, and China’s commitment to deploy its high-end industrial capabilities from equipment manufacturing and new energy technologies to logistics, textiles, electronics, and education.

He further described the project as the new engine of Nigeria’s economic transformation and affirmed China’s readiness to stand with Kogi in building a free trade zone that becomes a model of prosperity and cross-border collaboration.

On his part, the technical advisor to the governor, Dr Sanni Abdullahi Ozomata, revealed that the FTZ is projected to attract between $2 and $5 billion in foreign direct investment within the next five to seven years. The project , according to him, will create over 10,000 jobs in its first phase and more than 50,000 direct and indirect jobs once fully operational.

Ahe said, ” It will serve as a catalyst for major industrial clusters in agro-processing, mineral processing, steel fabrication, ceramics, gas-based industries, and light manufacturing, all supported by dedicated power infrastructure, internal rail links, modern housing, schools, hospitals, and a fully integrated industrial ecosystem designed to serve both global markets and local communities.

He added that, Kogi’s cassava, rice, and cashew production among the highest in Nigeria , will gain new value chain opportunities, while the state’s 32 commercially viable minerals are set to anchor new processing plants and export hubs.

Dr Sanni Abdullahi Ozomata, also highlighted Kogi’s strategic advantage as Nigeria’s central logistics hub, bordered by ten states and the Federal Capital Territory, and endowed with some of the country’s richest mineral and agricultural resources.

Kogi’s Commissioner for Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning, Asiwaju Asiru Idris, urged investors to seize what he described as “a once-in-a-generation industrial opportunity.”

“Kogi State has established the institutional and legislative framework to guarantee investment success. Returns will be strong, sustainable, and secure. If Dangote, Mangal, and others are investing in Kogi, why are you not yet here?” he asked.

In his opening remarks, chief economic adviser to the Governor and CEO of the Kogi State Investment Promotion and Public-Private Partnership Agency (KSIPPA), Aliyu Inda Salami, said the Free Trade Zone sits on 4,000 hectares of land, positioning Kogi as a future industrial powerhouse.

“We have received presidential approval for the Ajaokuta Economic City, and today we are unveiling a major step in the journey toward industrialising Kogi State,” he said, thanking President Bola Tinubu for his support and commending Governor Ododo “for leading the team from the front.”
Salami explained that the project was designed to expand Kogi’s revenue base, stimulate large-scale industrial investment, and accelerate the state’s integration into global value chains.