….Targets 15,000 Jobs and ₦13.5 Billion construction of road
The Benue State Executive Council, under the leadership of His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has approved the implementation of a ₦330 billion National Food City Complex in the Ogyoma-Akpa area of Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The National Food City is designed to change the way agriculture works in Benue from simply producing crops to processing, packaging, adding value and exporting finished agricultural products.
The project will combine large-scale mechanised farming with processing factories, storage facilities and other supporting infrastructure.
Instead of producing rice, cassava, maize and other crops and sending them away as raw materials, the Food City is expected to create an environment where these products can be processed into finished goods right here in Benue.
The project is valued at about ₦330 billion ($250 million) and will cover approximately 30,000 hectares, beginning with an initial 12,000 hectares in Ogyoma-Akpa, with the remaining areas to be developed in phases.
It is expected to create more than 15,000 direct and indirect jobs and mobilise about 40,000 farmers who will supply agricultural commodities to the complex.
The Benue State Government will hold a 10 per cent equity stake, while the host community will receive 5 per cent equity. The project will operate under a 25-year concession, after which ownership of the facility is expected to return fully to the state.
What makes this even more significant is that the project is being developed through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Rexzondeneh Group Ltd., meaning private investment will be brought into the development while the state provides its own contribution and oversight.
According to the information released by the government, the project is also part of the Federal Government’s National Food Security Programme and Benue is the first state to authorise implementation of the project.
The official agreement signing is scheduled for Friday.
Beyond the Food City, the administration is also pushing infrastructure to support economic activities. A ₦13.5 billion road project has also been highlighted as part of the infrastructure development around the project and surrounding communities.
This is important because an industrial park cannot function effectively without good roads.
Farmers must be able to move their produce from the farms to processing centres. Finished products must move from the factories to markets. Investors, workers and businesses must also have reliable access to the area.
Governor Alia has repeatedly linked road development with agricultural growth because good roads reduce transportation difficulties and make it easier for farmers to access markets.
It means farmers can move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture. And most importantly, it means Benue can begin to earn more from what we produce instead of allowing other states and countries to take our raw materials, process them and sell the finished products back to us.
This is the kind of transition Benue needs — from being only a food-producing state to becoming an agricultural processing and industrial hub.
The state government also disclosed that it has paid ₦670 million owed to the Chinese company that constructed the new Otobi Waterworks. The facility, which had reportedly been abandoned for more than 13 years, was subsequently rehabilitated and water supplied to about 25 streets in Otukpo.
That is the kind of vision that can change the economic story of our state. Excellency, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for continuing to pursue investments, infrastructure and industrialisation that can create long-term opportunities for Benue people.
