The Imo State Government says it will stand committed, in alignment with the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones(SAPZ) Programme, to establish high standards of infrastructure and management towards attracting both foreign and national investors in the state.
According to a statement signed by Chief Press Secretary of the state, Oguwike Nwachuku, Governor Hope Uzodinma made the commitment in his remarks during a meeting with the President of the AfDB, Akinwunmi Adesina and his team as well as representatives of the development partners and the federal government, in Cote d’ Iviore on Tuesday, January 25th.
Along with him, in reaffirming their support to the government-enabled, private sector-driven SAPZ implementation model,SAPZ Programme, were governors Nasir el- Rufai (Kaduna), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo).
The four states were chosen as pilots for the African Development Bank (AfDB) – sponsored SAPZ Programme in collaboration with other development banks and the federal government, as a veritable strategy in the transformation of the Nigerian agriculture sector, through industrialization.
Governor Uzodinma, who emerged as focal governor for whose states the Special Agro-industrial processing zones will be kick started in, ahead of its official launch on February, this year in Abuja, affirmed that full dedication in creating enabling environments for the kick off of the programme will be made available.
He urged both the institutions and states selected for the first phase of the programme to work in concert to attract global, regional and national investors to fully populate the zones.
The governors met with the Akinwunmi Adesina Adesina and heads of the other organizations for the signing of agreements for the take-off of the programme in four weeks time.
