Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has said that with the launch of the Special Agro-industrial Processing Zone programme can end food insecurity and improve export earnings in less than a decade.
Gatekeepers News reports that Osinbajo said this at the official launch of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones in Nigeria, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja on Monday.
Osinbajo, representing President Buhari at the launch of the SAPZ programme said,
“If the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones programme delivers on its objectives and we have no doubt that it will, then we would in less than a decade deal a fatal blow to food insecurity, create millions of good paying agro-industrial jobs and opportunities and radically improve export earnings from agriculture,”
“The Nigeria Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones programme is a government-enabled and private sector-led initiative that aims to mobilise private sector investment to develop value chains for selected strategic crops and livestock in the participating states. Nigeria will implement the first phase of the SAPZ programme with co-financing from the African Development Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Islamic Development Bank.”
The SAPZ programme was recently approved by the Federal Executive Council, by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in alignment with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy of the Federal Government to incentivise agro-industrialisation for private sector development.
