The Jigawa State Government has keyed into the multi-billion naira African Development Bank (AfDB) Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) Programme targetted at improving the livelihood of citizens.
The state governor, Umar Namadi, who received the AfDB’s team at the Government House in Dutse, the state capital, on Wednesday, said Jigawa wants to benefit from the livelihood-improving programme.
“We are committed to the projects because it has a lot of benefits for the people. Jigawa is a rural state with a projected population of about 7.5 million people, and about 35 per cent of the population is youth. The project will provide an avenue to engage a significant number of people so that they will have a means of livelihood.
“The SAPZs is a good programme, so we decided to key into it. We are fully ready to key in, and the government is fully committed to giving all the necessary support.
“We have an industrial cluster in the Gagarara area where we have a 24-hour power supply, the infrastructures are ready, we are doing the industrial cluster in collaboration with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) that shows the involvement of the private sector”, Mr Namadi said.
Earlier, the AfDB’s team leader, Monde Nyambe, said the relationship between Jigawa and the Bank started three years ago, and the Bank is delighted to see that Jigawa is ready to join the second phase of the programme.
“The project is about processors, producers and distributors so that they could be of value addition to what is being produced in the state.
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“This will reduce post-harvest losses and create jobs for youth. This is an opportunity for the youths to be employed. We hope that the loan will be approved by the end of the year and the implementation will start by early 2025”, Mrs Nyambe said.
Also, the AfDB’s co-task manager of the SAPZ, Bashir Ibrahim, said the visit to Jigawa was for a preparation mission to assess the readiness of the state to participate in the second phase of the Programme.
He said the team will also look at the value chain commodities the state wants to promote and the presence of the private sector.
“The presence of the private sector in the state is key to sustainable implementation of the SAPZ programme, Mr Bashir said.
The SAPZ Programm’s goal is to increase household incomes, foster job creation in rural agricultural communities, for youth and women, and enhance food and nutritional security in Nigeria.
The development objective is also to support inclusive and sustainable agro-industrial development. The SAPZ Programme interventions seek to enhance the competitiveness of selected value chains.
This will be achieved through increased productivity, aggregation and reliable supply of quality raw materials, value addition, market access and private sector investment.
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