North-East Not Left Out of Agro Project – FG

The Federal Government has responded to claims that states in the North-East were excluded from the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) project, stating the region is part of the initiative.

At a press conference on Saturday, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, said all states — including those in the North-East — were invited to participate in the programme.

His remarks follow criticism from lawmakers representing the North-East, who said the region was left out.

Kyari said selection into the first phase of the $538 million SAPZ project was based on criteria reviewed by the Federal Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB). He said eight locations — Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Imo, Cross River, and the FCT — met the requirements and showed interest during the initial phase.

“The SAPZ is structured as a loan-based programme, and states are expected to indicate their interest. Unfortunately, some states didn’t respond when we reached out,” Kyari said.

He said events in Cross River and Kaduna in April led to increased interest from other states. “We believe seeing the project in action has inspired more states, including those in the North-East, to begin the onboarding process,” he said.

Kyari said he wrote to all states not included in the first phase in early 2024, inviting them to express interest. He said 27 states responded, but only 10 met the criteria.

“The blanket statement that the North-East was excluded isn’t accurate,” he said. “We encourage lawmakers to support their respective state governments in completing the application process so they can benefit from future phases.”

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