The recently finished Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport project will open up employment prospects for some 25,000 unemployed youths in the state according to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun.
According to Nairametrics, he claimed that in addition to the airport project, additional growth initiatives would be included, such as the Special Agro Processing Zone that is situated in the city.
He claimed that the goal of this mega airport is to improve the export of both agricultural and non-agricultural goods. This will raise social and economic activity, which will increase the state’s ability to generate money.
The first commercial flight to successfully land at the Gateway Agro Cargo International Airport, which is situated along the Iperu-Ilishan road in the Ikenne Local Government Area, marked a significant milestone for Ogun State yesterday. Around 2.15 pm, hundreds of people applauded as the plane landed.
The Agro Cargo Airport was initially conceived in 2005, under Gbenga Daniel’s administration, but it was finally realized under Dapo Abiodun’s direction. Governor Abiodun made it clear during the ceremony that completing the first test flight was essential to receiving full certification and licensing for safe aviation operations.
The significance of the Agro Cargo Airport is enhanced by the establishment of the AfDB-sponsored Special Agriculture Processing Zone within the airport zone, in conjunction with the Federal Government.
This area will have a variety of logistical and industrial activity hubs, resulting in an aeropolis that will utilize airport and air transportation services.
Governor Abiodun emphasized the continuous infrastructure improvements that support the expansion of the airport.
“Among these are the Shagamu to Benin Expressway’s upcoming concessions, the reconstruction of the Lagos to Shagamu Motorway, and the construction of an east-to-west standard gauge rail line that runs from Lagos to the airport and extends to the country’s eastern region.”
He continued, “It comes at a time when the AfDB-sponsored Special Agriculture Processing Zone was established in the airport zone in collaboration with the Federal Government, a zone to also include various industrial and logistics activity centers and termed an Aerotropolis that would benefit from the airport and air transportation services.
The building of a Dry Port and Port City at Kajola, which is located at the intersection of the projected East to Gateway Airport to the East (Calabar) rail line and the Lagos to Ibadan rail line, is another sister development the state is working on, he added.
As a result, Ogun State would be positioned as a strategic hub for trade and transportation between the Gateway Agro Cargo Airport and the Apapa ports.
Overall, the successful test flight at the Gateway Agro Cargo International Airport represents a significant advance for the economic growth and regional connectivity of Ogun State.
