The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, has emphasized that the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) project is an integral part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda on food security, agro-industrialisation, and inclusive economic growth, saying the initiative must work in Nigeria, as in other African countries.
The Minister who spoke at a two-day SAPZ-1 High-Level Implementation Acceleration Dialogue and States Steering/Technical Committee Workshop on Monday, highlighted the programme’s role in achieving key national goals.
Addressing participants at the workshop’s opening session in Abuja, Kyari outlined SAPZ as a cornerstone initiative aimed at establishing agriculturally-focused platforms to boost private sector investment in value-added agro-processing.
He noted that the core objective of the SAPZ initiative is to enhance food security, create jobs, substitute imports, reduce rural poverty, and significantly increase agriculture’s contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Kyari stressed the importance of the two-day workshop in tackling existing challenges and formulating an accelerated implementation strategy that aligns with the administration’s food security goals.
“The strategic focus is to set modalities for increased production of cassava, rice, maize, cocoa, tomatoes, and livestock across the seven participating states and the FCT, especially for this upcoming dry season,” Kyari stated.
He praised the decision to adopt the design, build, and operate (DBO) model for developing the zones, adding, “By December 2024, we will have concluded the process of onboarding DBO service providers for site development.”
Kyari projected that through the SAPZ programme, 500,000 direct and indirect jobs would be created, with an additional 2.5 million temporary jobs along infrastructure development and related services.
He further highlighted the potential economic benefits of the programme, which include significant additions to the nation’s food supply and an improvement in staple food yields, increasing from 5-10% to 50-100%. Post-harvest losses, currently at 45%, are also expected to be reduced to 20%.
Kyari acknowledged that the SAPZ Phase 1 programme, currently being implemented in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), faces some challenges, including project execution constraints, approval delays, and procurement issues across various financiers. Despite these setbacks, he expressed confidence that collective determination would drive progress and deliver results.
“The dialogue has become necessary to address concerns raised by the state governors and to collectively agree on a way forward,” he added, urging participants to engage in a robust dialogue and align efforts at federal and state levels, as well as with development partners.
Kyari expressed gratitude to development partners, including the African Development Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the Islamic Development Bank, for their support in ensuring the success of the SAPZ programme.
He concluded by expressing optimism that the workshop’s momentum would translate into tangible benefits for rural communities, where SAPZ would have its most significant impact.