The Jigawa State Government is partnering with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to see to the development of a special agro-industrial zone (SAPZ) in the state.
This was made known when a delegation from the AfDB, led by Mrs. Monde Nyambe, paid a courtesy call on Governor Mallam Umar Namadi Wednesday at the Government House, Dutse.
Mrs. Nyambe expressed her team’s enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating that they are here on a special mission, looking at the preparation for the second phase of the special agro-industrial zones program in Nigeria.
“We are pleased with the progress made during the first phase and are now focusing on identifying states for the second phase, with Jigawa State being one of our key destinations,” she said.
The objective of the visit, according to her, was to assess the readiness of Jigawa State to participate in the next phase of the SAPZ program. The AfDB team will evaluate the feasibility studies, examine the quality of reports, assess available sites for agro-industrial hubs and agricultural transformation centers, and analyze the state’s chosen value chain commodities.
Likewise, they will evaluate the presence of the private sector and the adequacy of infrastructure such as road networks and water supply.
Responding, Governor Namadi expressed his gratitude for the visit, stating, “We are committed to the SAPZ program and have already prepared our feasibility studies. We look forward to receiving feedback to address any gaps identified.”
The Governor emphasized the potential of the SAPZ program to benefit the people of Jigawa State, particularly in providing employment opportunities for the youth population, which constitutes a significant portion of the state’s demographics.
“We are committed to this project because it has a lot of benefits for our people. Jigawa State is an agrarian state, and we believe we have a population of close to 7.5 million by the last estimate, and about 35% of that is youth. We hope this project will provide an avenue to engage this number of people so that they have a means of livelihood,” he said.
Buttressing the state’s readiness to support the project, Governor Namadi said that his administration has strategically chosen Gagarawa, with existing infrastructure, as the site for our industrial cluster.
“Because the project, as you said, is private sector-driven, this is why we decided to take it to Gagarawa. Gagarawa is an industrial cluster. At the site, we have 24 hour light, the infrastructure is ready, and we are doing that industrial cluster in collaboration with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. That is to show the involvement of the private sector. The site is just coming up; you see, some buildings have started taking up space. We want to make it a full industrial cluster. In addition to the companies and factories that will be set up there, there will also be common services.”
Governor Namadi also highlighted the state’s investment in skills acquisition centers to empower youth with valuable training opportunities.
