By Jimoh Babatunde 

The President , African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina,  has called for synergy among Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to move the country forward. 

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for the design, build and operate of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) in Calabar, Cross River State  , Thursday, Adesina said the project would have taken off 13 years ago while he was the Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, but  for lack of support from the ministry of Industry then.

“When I was Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, I worked so hard to develop these stable crop processing zones, what we call today the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones. 

“The reason was simple. I was convinced that Nigeria must industrialize its agricultural sector and add value to all of what it produces to deliver wealth for farmers across the nation. 

“Unfortunately, because of institutional inertia at the time, we were not able to launch these zones because at the time the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Investment were not working together with us to be able to do that. 

“Even then, we had developed 14 Stable Crop Processing Zones for 14 states, but we were not able to launch them. 

Adesina regretted that Nigeria lost in the process, “and that loss continued for the past 13 years, denying Nigeria of the platform it needed to become a major player in value addition for what it produces from its agricultural sector. Of course, I was sad. 

He said as painful as it was that he never gave up but  prayed for a time to come “when  we would wipe away the agony of that disappointment. And here we are today. 

“We must always do the right things for Nigeria.”

He said with its  abundant arable land, cheap labor, and vast agroecological zones,  Nigeria should not be importing food. 

“Nigeria should be completely self-sufficient in food and a significant exporter of food and agricultural commodities. 

He commended the good working relationship between the Minister of Agriculture &Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari and that of Industry, Senator John Enoh.

“I am delighted again with the cross-ministerial collaboration and I want to thank all the members of the federal executive council for that but what you saw today with these two ministers, the minister of agriculture and the minister of trade, it’s not something that is common. “People fight for tough but these are great men. “

Adesina said by taking advantage of the special agro-industrial processing zones, Nigeria will now have the infrastructure and industrial platform to transform all its food and agricultural commodities. 

“What a day we are celebrating today. The special agro-industrial processing zones will reduce food imports, conserve foreign exchange, expand production and processing of food and agricultural commodities, strengthen the Naira, and attract significant private investment in agricultural value chains. 

“The SAPZs will also revive and transform rural economies and create millions of jobs. So today the gospel of good news of the special agro-industrial processing zones has reached Cross River State and its governor, Senator Bassi Otu ,who happens to be an Apostle,  is his chief evangelist. 

“But this governor is sharply focused in economic opportunities for the state, diversify its economy, and drive for self-economic reliance through agriculture.

Adesina noted that   Cross River State has a significant role in the agricultural transformation of Nigeria,  because it has vast land for Cocoa  production ,  palm oil, plantain, rice, and bananas. 

“Its Obudu ranch alone can turn the state into a huge livestock producer. 

He also noted that infrastructure projects such as the proposed Bakassi Deep Sea Port, the Calabar-Itu rail line, and the Obudu Cargo Airport would facilitate the transportation of processed agricultural goods to both local and international markets.

“Cross River State is also ideal for the special agro-industrial processing zones because it has an export processing zone, port facilities, export handling capabilities, and packaging centers. 

The AfDB President said the special agro-industrial processing zones in Calabar can be easily linked to the seaport for transport of processed agricultural commodities to export markets in neighboring countries including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.”