Oyo State government has said that it will leverage on the African Development Bank- backed Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone located in the state for economic growth.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Olubamiwo Adeosun who stated this at the Senior Level Engagement and Strategic Case Workshop in respect of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) project by the United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility, in Ibadan added that the current administration would continue to give necessary support to ensure the success of the SAPZ programme.
Adeosun said that the state was determined to expand its economy via the agribusiness value chain, maintaining that Oyo State was privileged to have been selected as one of the pioneer states for the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone.
According to her, the project will give room for structural transformation in agriculture, adding that, “a project to the tune of $210million, that can impact some 1.5 million households and create not less than 400,000 direct jobs and 1.6 million indirect jobs across the six states in its phase 1, is not one that we are ready to toy with.”
She hinted that the present administration will continue to develop the three farm products including cassava, soybean and rice as requested by African Development Bank (AfDB) to expand the state’s economy.
She said: “It gives me great pleasure to be in your midst today for this preliminary meeting of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (Pre-SAPZ) workshop.
