Enugu, Jan. 27, 2024: The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it is committed to partnering Enugu State Government on investment, infrastructure and other projects to attract development and transform the lives of citizens.
The Director-General of AfDB, Nigeria Country Department, Lamin Barrow, made this known during a courtesy visit to the Gov. Peter Mbah, at the Government House, Enugu.
According to him, Nigeria is strategic to the bank’s programmes.
He said that the phase one of some of the programmes, especially in the area of Special Agro-Processing Zone (SAPZ), which was about 18 million dollars, had been approved.
Barrow explained that AfDB, being Africa’s foremost development and financial bank, was in the process of rolling out the second phase, which would integrate Enugu State into the programme.
“I am here to discuss with the Governor of Enugu State on the programme for the state,” he said.
Barrow said that phase two of the programme would support the implementation of the SAPZ project–which the state had already undertaken–covering agro-allied crops like cassava, maize, that it had competitive advantage.
He said that SAPZ was helping to develop value chains for the crops and adding value to primary crops, as well as reducing post-harvest losses.
Barrow said that the bank was also developing strong linkages with stakeholder farmers, training and creating financial support for the farmers’ activities.
He also said the bank would assist the state in de-risking investment flow in its efforts to strengthen and enhance production.
According to him, AfDB will also enhance high yielding income, and drive agricultural produce beyond food security to exportation for the state and Nigeria in general.
On his part, Skipper Group President, Jitender Sachdeva, said that his company had already concluded with the governor to construct the green special agro-allied industry zone, which also fell within the AfDB’s programme.
He said that the infrastructure, which they were collaborating with AfDB to step up would facilitate the ease of doing business in the state and ensure self-sustained green electricity for each factory operating in the state.
“We are here for you in terms of infrastructure, power, agro-processing zones, among other projects; the kind of energy, positivity and simplicity I have seen in you, I can assure you we are going to start immediately,” he said.
Responding, Mbah expressed excitement over the choice of Enugu State by AfDB and other development partners for the second phase of the Special Agro-Processing Zone.
He said that his administration had already committed considerable amount of financial resources in the sector and would be ready to explore the opportunities which AfDB was presenting to the state.
The governor assured the AfDB boss that Enugu had fulfilled all the pre-conditions for the project to take off.
“I want to inform you that Enugu State is ready and we have prepared all the prerequisite documentations and all the surveys you need to be able to get started with this project.
“We have done the environmental and social impact assessments; we have identified a sizeable land that will host a Special Agro-Processing Zone, and put aside over 1000 hectares very close to the city that would be used for the Special Agro-Processing Zone.
“We have also done the feasibility studies,” the governor said.
Mbah added that the state already had a fertile land and was performing better than other states in the cultivation and production of soya beans, cassava, rice, maize, cashew nuts, pineapple, among other food crops.
