WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE PROPOSED EKITI AGRO – ALLIED CARGO AIRPORT
▪The support Ekiti State Government has requested from the African Development Bank (AfDB) is not for the construction of the Agro-Allied cargo airport ONLY rather it is for the construction of Ekiti Knowledge Zone(EKZ), Special Agriculture Processing Zone (SAPZ), Ado-Akure Road, and Ekiti Agro-Allied Cargo Airport.
▪The fund required is $100 million and when granted, it has a 10-year moratorium and 2 per cent interest. This means the project should have started earning income for us ( Ekiti) many years before we start to pay back.
In other words,no pressure on Ekiti State’s current financial profile so Dr Fayemi is not “wasting scarce resources to build an airport” as is largely claimed.
▪Ekiti Agro – allied cargo airport will help Ekiti State transport a large number of cash crops (cocoa, plantain, oil palm) from the proposed Special Agriculture Processing Zone (SAPZ) in and out of Nigeria at an increased rate to secure the early-to-market advantage.
▪Remember Ekiti State Government has entered into a partnership with Promasidor Company for the revitalization of the moribund Ikun Dairy Farm? When Ikun Dairy farm is completed ,it would produce 10,000 litres of milk DAILY . Ekiti alone can not consume 10,000 litres of milk daily. How then do we speedily transport the milk to local markets and for export if not through the cargo airport?
▪Also remember the State Government has entered into a partnership with the World Bank to undertake rehabilitation and tarring of 1000km of rural roads through the Rural Access to Market Programme (RAMP)? This will commence right after the rains and it will aid the reconstruction of farm settlements, provide basic amenities to facilitate transportation of produce after harvest to the Special Agriculture Processing Zone. It will also connect Ekiti rural communities to urban centers and market places.
▪With the Ekiti Agro-Allied Cargo Airport, Ekiti State will become a major logistic hub for produce handling in the Southwest and North Central Food Basket Zone.
▪These projects are crucial to Governor Fayemi’s economic diversification plans and agribusiness investments policy to enhance food security, employment opportunities and empower women and youths in Ekiti State.
