The $250 Million Benue Food City Complex: Another Alia’s Touch

Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia has again demonstrated his uncommon deft moves to ignite massive development in Benue State. His over three years in office have been remarkable, with clear evidence of progress being made in all sectors, including agriculture, which has just received another dose of Rev. Fr Alia’s growth prescription – a $250 million food city complex.

Described as the $250 million National Food City Complex (NFCC), this is a major step towards transforming Benue from a producer of raw agricultural commodities into an agro-industrial economy.

Governor Alia, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Samuel Ode signed the National Food City Complex Public-Private Partnership and associated agreements at the Old Banquet Hall, Government House, Makurdi, on Monday, September 7, 2026.

It is going to be a well planned project that will have a footprint on 30,000 hectares across three local government areas in Zone C. It would integrate agricultural production, industrial processing, storage, cold-chain infrastructure, energy, logistics, and markets.

Most significantly, this project is expected to integrate about 40,000 smallholder farmers and create up to 20,000 permanent direct jobs, as well as provide opportunities for farmers, young people, entrepreneurs and other businesses across the state.

This will clearly bring out the Food Basket identity Benue has maintained for decades. It will ensure that the state garner greater economic meaning by not only producing agricultural commodities but also processing them, adding value, creating jobs, and retaining more wealth locally.

“We are moving from food basket to an agro-industrial economy; from what we grow to what we can build from it, from potentials to productivity, and from productivity to prosperity,” the governor said.

The project will be chaperoned by the RGL Group, who are the project investors. The state government, on its part, has made a solemn commitment to provide the

institutional support, ensure transparency, accountability, and adherence to international best practices in the execution of the project.

The success of this project would ultimately be measured by stronger markets for farmers it creates, employment for young people, growth of industries and businesses, and increased retention of wealth generated from Benue’s resources within the state.

It is imperative to state that Governor Alia has given agriculture the attention it deserves. He

has made agriculture the cornerstone of his administration since 2023, with the goal of restoring Benue as the “Food Basket of the Nation” and moving it to an agro-industrial economy.

It is with this vision that the government’s

mechanization revolution led to the establishment of the Benue State Agribusiness and Mechanisation Centre (BAMC) in Makurdi through a Public Private Partnership with Mass International & Equipment Nigeria Ltd and SABASPAC Int’l Ltd, for the local assembling of tractors for mechanised agriculture. In November 2025, not less than 41 newly assembled tractors, complete with harvesters, threshers, planters, fertilizer applicators, excavators, and yam mounders, were made available to farmers. More than 900 young people have been trained in tractor assembly, maintenance, and modern farming methods at the centre.

In the 2026 farming season, the state government offered 50% discount on fertiliser and other farm inputs, with a 50kg bag at N28,000, while the government subsidizes the balance of N28,000 The exercise covered all 23 LGAs and went beyond NPK and Urea to include improved seedlings, herbicides, and other inputs, with a strengthened framework for transparency.

It is also pertinent to state that on June 2, 2024, the government commissioned 33 new tractors and disbursed N380 million cheques to community interest groups under the Community Revolving Fund (CRF) of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) scheme. • Paid N1 billion counterpart fund for ACReSAL and created ACReSAL as a new agency of government for knowledge and skills transfer.

In effect, $250 million (N330.4 billion) National Food City Complex deal with Rexzodeneh Group Ltd, is another conscious initiative of government to transform raw production into processing, storage, logistics, energy and market development.

The project is sited at Ogyoma Akpa in Otukpo LGA. Apart from creating thousands of direct jobs, there will be crops diversification and use of improved seedlings, with demonstration farms already at BAMC showcasing improved varieties of cocoa, papaya, rice and oil palm.

The governor has since directed the Ministry of Agriculture to mark out government lands for immediate planting of oranges, mangoes, guinea corn, wheat, barley and sorghum.

The Alia administration had earlier launched a pilot agricultural mechanization outgrower programme to empower 10 farm clusters covering about 300 farmers with access to tractors, improved seeds, inputs and structured markets.

For effective planning and engagement, over 120,000 farmers have been captured in a database from the initial 14 cooperatives, while a revenue model allowing farmers to offset costs by offering mechanized services commercially was introduced.

The government has been investing in rural roads, and irrigation for year-round farming, as well as agro-processing to reduce post-harvest losses, and building the capacity of extension workers, women and youth.

The Benue Investment Promotion Agency (BENIPA) is at the heart of this new investment, and the governor commended them and other relevant ministries, departments and agencies, including the Commissioners for Justice and Agriculture, for their roles in bringing the project to fruition.

He also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that Benue’s agricultural strength was not only a state advantage but a national asset in the drive for food security, industrialisation and economic diversification.

The BENIPA Executive Secretary, Dr. Kpenkaan John Paul, said the project was conceived to address the longstanding challenges confronting farmers, particularly poor access to markets, processing facilities, storage and logistics.

Using the story of an elderly farmer, Aya, whom he encountered during community engagement in Otukpo Local Government Area, Kpenkaan said the NFCC was designed to ensure that farmers could turn their productivity into sustainable income and prosperity.

He disclosed that BENIPA had coordinated the involvement of 13 relevant MDAs in technical reviews, investor engagement, and other processes leading to the signing.

Kpenkaan described the ceremony as more than the signing of contracts, saying it represented a commitment to build a Benue where farmers are connected to industry, young people can build careers around agriculture, and more value is retained within the state.

The Ada Otukpo, Dr. Samuel Onu, speaking on behalf of traditional rulers in the project area, pledged their cooperation and that of the host communities.

President General of the Akweya Community Development Association, Maurice Adiga, expressed gratitude over the project, saying the community had almost lost hope after encountering several challenges before its eventual realisation.

Project Manager of the National Food City Complex, Ramsey Ibrahim, described the initiative as a new agricultural revolution for Benue and Africa, noting that the project would bring modern agricultural technology and opportunities back to rural communities.

Ibrahim announced plans to introduce advanced technologies, including drones, and reach out to international investors and technology partners. It is, indeed, a monumental piece of project that thousands will benefit from, and livelihoods and living conditions will be transformed.

Bridget Tikyaa, Is the Principal Special Assistant  to the Governor on Media  Publicity and Communications Strategy