The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, jointly with the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development will launch the Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) initiative for Nigeria on 24 and 25 October 2022.
The launch in the federal capital, Abuja, will herald the implementation of SAPZ phase 1, and sends a strong message about Nigeria’s commitment to significantly transform its agriculture sector, create jobs, achieve food security, and generate economic revenue.
The first phase of the Nigeria SAPZ program is co-financed by key development partners to the tune of $538.05 million. The African Development Bank is providing $210 million. The Islamic Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development will provide combined funding of $310 million. The government of Nigeria is contributing $18.05 million.
The two-day event will bring together government officials, implementing partners, potential investors, farmers, agripreneurs, members of the diplomatic corps, and the development community.
The event will feature the following: Day1 (October 24): SAPZ launch Day 2 (October 25): Partnerships and interaction with strategic investors
The Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones will feature world-class facilities capable of attracting global investment, particularly, private sector interest, and driving a market-oriented agricultural transformation that will boost agro-processing capacity across Africa.