According to the President of the African Development Bank (ADB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Kaduna is setting the standard as the first state in Nigeria to establish the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ).
During a courtesy call at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Tuesday, 8th April, Dr Adesina commended Governor Uba Sani’s dedication to agricultural reform.
The ADB president cited the Kaduna State’s remarkable agricultural budgetary increase, from N1.4 billion to N74 billion, adding that the rise is an example of political will backed by substantial investment.
“You didn’t just put your money where your mouth is—you put your money where your mind and your body are,” Adesina remarked, drawing applause from stakeholders and dignitaries.
He said, ”Kaduna’s leadership on this project reflects not just a vision for food security, but a roadmap for economic prosperity and inclusive development.”
Dr Adesina described Kaduna as a trailblazer, noting that “you are the first state to launch the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone in Nigeria. This is a great day for us all.”
The AfDB president also commended the state’s hospitality, adding, “not only did we get hospitality here in Kaduna, I think we got maternity too—because your Deputy Governor is a medical doctor.”
Dr Adesina emphasised the AfDB’s commitment to supporting Kaduna State in expanding school feeding programs and integrating them with the new processing zones.
He pledged additional support for primary health care improvements, health insurance, and infrastructure, including water, sanitation, and digitalisation.
The ADB president added, “We’re proud to partner with a government that listens, leads with compassion, and is open to all.”
The ADB president described Governor Uba Sani as “a model leader—he’s a listener, a unifier, and above all, a doer.”
In his remarks, Governor Uba Sani described Dr Adesina as “a blessing to Nigeria, Africa, and humanity,” just as he applauded the ADB president’s transformative work in agriculture across the continent.
Governor Uba Sani further said Dr. Akin’s initiative, which he launched when he was Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture years ago, has benefited more than 15 million smallholder farmers across Nigeria, mostly in northern Nigeria, through his E-wallet initiative.
The initiative aimed not only to transform agriculture but could have also addressed the financial exclusion problem we face today, as it could have provided access to financial credit for our smallholder farmers.
“It could have also addressed the problem of insecurity we are facing in Northern Nigeria. In Kaduna, agriculture contributes about 42 per cent of our GDP and accounts for about 60per cent of employment in the state. This is why we believe insecurity has hindered much of the development we could have achieved through agriculture.
“Because we believe it is one of the most important sectors to invest in, part of what we did was to increase the agricultural budget from N1.4 billion, which we inherited in 2023, to N74 billion in the current budget.
“By doing that, we became the first sub-national government to achieve the 10 per cent target of the 2014 Malabo Declaration, which set the goal of allocating 10 per cent of the budget to agriculture,” he said.
The Agro-Industrial Processing Zone’s opening was celebrated by the governor as an important project for the state.
Governor Sani also commended Dr Adesina’s efforts to improve agriculture in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
Source: Tribune Online
Image Credit: FreePix
