An agricultural economist at the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Chuma Ezedinma has stated that the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone programme (SAPZ), will create jobs for two hundred thousand residents in Anambra State. Ezedinma told journalists on the sideline of the meeting tagged Preparation Mission for the Development of the second phase of the SPAZ programme in Awka Anambra state, on Friday.
The meeting on the SPAZ-2 programme had officials from the Federal Ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Food Safety, AFDB and the Anambra State Government. He said: “AfDB is very much interested in what is happening in the state because Anambra’s presentation on the SPAZ project is the best we have seen so far. It shows the state is ready to run.
“From what we have seen, about 450 hectares of land will be dedicated to the industrial site. We are looking at approximately 5000 farm families per zone. Multiply it by three zones, you have 15,000 farm families in the state.
“If you also add other secondary jobs that will be created in the park itself, you will see that we are creating real massive employment for more than 200,000 people over the next five years.”
The bank is particularly happy that the state government is fully in support of the project. For instance, Dr. Ezedinma said, “The state government has already committed resources to put infrastructure in place and there is also a private sector interest to deliver this programme within a very short time.” Also speaking, Dr Louis Enaberue, from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security commended the Anambra state government for its preparedness for phase two of the SAPZ programme.
“What we saw in Anambra’s presentation shows they are ready for phase two of SPAZ and I hope and pray they meet the grade. “The state government is expected to pay 50 per cent counterpart fund, provide the land and other infrastructure for the project, and they are already working towards achieving them,” he said.
Dr Forster Ihejiofor, Anambra State Commissioner for Agriculture, said that the state’s Investment Promotion and Protection Agency and the Ministry of Industry were working tirelessly to ensure the SPAZ project is ready to go in Anambra.
“Clearly, we are ready because this project will transform agriculture in the state as it will increase farmers’ incomes, foster job creation and enhance food security in the state and country at large,” Ihejiofor said.
The delegation also visited the three proposed sites for the SPAZ-2 project in Ayamelum, Ogboji in Orumba South and Ufuma in Orumba North Local Government Area of the state respectively.
