By Peter Duru

MAKURDI—A consortium based in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is to invest over $340 million in the establishment of an ethanol plant in Benue State.

Ortom

Governor Samuel Ortom, who made this known in a state-owned radio programme monitored in Makurdi, said the project would be executed to further boost the federal government’s renewable energy policy.

He said: “The stage is already set for the signing of an agreement among major stakeholders including the state government and the Consortium.

‘’The feasibility studies for the project has been concluded and the Consortium has consented to invest over $340 million into it.

“Even President Muhammadu Buhari is so passionate about the project and he has agreed to come to the State to flag it off.”

The governor said that another foreign company from the United States had also expressed willingness to invest in food processing in the state, explaining that the state government had decided to dedicate parts of Gwer West and Agatu Local Government Areas for that purpose.

He said government had signed a Memoranda of Understanding with a lot of foreign investors who had indicated interest to invest in the state, saying his administration was determined to develop the industrial capacity and promote the processing of primary agricultural products in order to boost the economy of the state.

Governor Ortom further said that Russian investors had also indicated interest to invest in the development of the agriculture value chain in the state and that he had already consented to their request to send representatives to Benue to further interface, with the hope that a Memorandum of Understanding would then be signed.

“These are good signs and I have continued to keep to the promises I made to Benue people, which is to encourage investment in Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as promote agriculture driven industrialisation,’’ the governor said.