The African Development Bank has reiterated its willingness to collaborate with the Enugu State Government to increase investment and infrastructure development.
The PUNCH reported that during a meeting with Governor Peter Mbah at Government House, the Director-General of AfDB’s Nigeria Country Department, Lamin Barrow, stated that Nigeria was crucial to AfDB’s programs.
According to him, the first phase of the projects, particularly the Special Agro-Processing Zone, has been approved at a cost of approximately $18 million.
He explained that the African bank was in the process of implementing the second phase, which would include the demands of the Enugu State Government.
Barrow stated that phase two of the initiative would help the state implement the SAPZ project, which it had already started, citing agro-allied crops like cassava and maize as examples of key staples where the state has a competitive edge.
“What the SAPZ is doing is to help develop value chains for these crops, adding value to primary crops, help in reducing post-harvest losses, develop strong linkages with stakeholder farmers, training and creating financial support for the farmers’ activities, but but most importantly, driven by anchor private-sector investors” , he said.
Skipper Group President, Jitender Sachdeva, said his company has already reached an agreement with the governor to build the green special agro-allied industry zone, which is also part of the AfDB’s agenda.
He stated that the infrastructure, which the company was working on with AfDB, would make it easier to do business in the state and assure self-sustaining green electricity for each factory that operated there.
“We are available for you in terms of infrastructure, power, agro-processing zones, and other initiatives. With the kind of energy, positivity, and simplicity I’ve seen in you and around you, I can tell you we’ll start right away,” he said.
Reacting, Mbah expressed joy over the choice of Enugu State by the AfDB and other development partners for the second phase of the Special Agro-Processing Zone, saying his administration had already committed huge capital in the sector and would be ready to explore the opportunities presented by AfDB to the state.
