…As Commissioner for Investment, Trade & Industry, Hon. Olusoga David JP highlighted the potentials of Ekiti Knowledge Zone, advised that Ekiti State should host Southwest ZAPS Hub
Ekiti Knowledge Zone, being the laudable vision of Governor Kayode Fayemi, is an arm of Pillar Four (Knowledge Economy) of his restoration Agenda which addresses; Teaching, Research, Skills Development, Creative Arts, Strengthening Tertiary Institutions, and Educational Entrepreneurship. The State government duly prioritise this Agenda for implementation, and is now being considered as one of the best innovation by any State of the Federation.
In the quest to making Ekiti State the Agro-Industrial Processing Hub of Southwestern Nigeria, Commissioner for Investment, Trade and Industry, Hon. Olusoga David JP during the Special Agro Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Inception Workshop held in Abuja recently, advocates the need for investors to explore the unending potentials in the State.
While highlighting the potentials of Ekiti State as a hub of industrial and academic knowledge of Nigeria, Hon. Olusoga said that SAPZ is all about poverty alleviation through industrialisation, hence moving Ekiti from an Agrarian economy to an industrial economy.
He also mentioned that Ekiti State is set to tap into available resources such as the $2billion Dollars Fund prepared by the World Bank for Nigeria.
“To move Nigeria away from poverty, we have to industrialise the key sectors of our economy. The SAPZ Inception Workshop presents a perfect platform for Ekiti State to showcase the Knowledge Zone as envisioned by Governor Kayode Fayemi. One of my arguments in Abuja was that Ekiti State is duly positioned to host the processing zone for the Southwest region.
“Ekiti Knowledge Zone is a project that focuses on the future of industrialisation. This vision deals with Technology Transfer, while developing a robust collaborative structure between the academia and industry. Ekiti State also has the biggest Silos in the Southwest and this further puts the State in the driving seat to run a hub for the region,” he said.
The SAPZ Inception Workshop was organised by African Development Bank through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to discuss on the operational modality of the project and also to promote the concentration of Agro-processing activities within the areas of high agricultural potential, enhancing productivity, and integrating production, processing marketing of selected commodities.