I am delighted to join you today on the occasion of the commissioning ceremony of the One Billion fully automated Warehouse, constructed here in Keffi by the Newpal Nigeria Limited.
Let me, on behalf of the Government and people of Nasarawa State, warmly welcome other stakeholders to this all-important event. I commend the Newpal Nigeria Limited for initiating this laudable project, aimed at adding value to agricultural products processing and Warehousing. I am informed that this Industrial site with an output capacity of twenty (20) tons per hour was constructed by a private company and consists of a production facility, state of the art laboratory, and other business units. I have no doubt that with the high-class processing and production facilities, this ouit will add value to the agricultural food supply chain that will meet internaonal quality
requirements.
I note with appreciation that aside from processing, Newpal Nigeria Limited is also engaged in the exportation of agricultural products such as cashew nuts, sesame seeds, and associated products to other parts of the world. The benefits that Nasarawa State will drive from this investment in terms of employment generation and improvement in
the living condition of the people within the North geopolitical zone are enormous.
You are already aware that our State is endowed with enormous agricultural potentials considering the abundance of both natural and human resources and the availability of land for agricultural production.
The State is blessed with about 2.7 million hectares of land, out of which 750,000 are arable in nature and suitable for the cultivation of varieties of crops for both domestic consumption and export. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is pertinent to reiterate that this Administration will continue to encourage private investment and partnership towards accelerating agricultural development and industrialization of the State. This has become necessary now more than before in view of the dwindling revenue accruals from the Federation accounts which call for concerted efforts to diversify sources of our revenue and synergizing with private partners to drive the industrial development of Nasarawa State.
Accordingly, this Administration is committed to enter into partnership with private development partners in the State. This is anchored on our belief that investors play
a significant role in simulating the economy. It is for this reason that the State Government entered into a partnership with mega-companies such as Olam Farms, which today has become one of the major producers of rice in the West Africa sub-region. Today, not less than 10,000 youths in the State are employed by Olam Farms.
In the same vein, Nasarawa State Government also entered into a bi-parte agreement with the Dangote Group which is currently cultivating a sugarcane plantation and sing
sugar refinery in the State. Efforts are also being intensify by the Company to invest in Rice Production along the riverine areas of Toto and Nasarawa Local Government
Areas. These endeavors have the potentials of employing over 30,000 of our youths, thereby adding value to our socio-economic activities. Distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen let me call on more investors to come and invest in the various sectors of
the State economy. On our part, Government will guarantee necessary security to secure the investment of willing investors. As you are aware, the presence of Army
Barracks in Doma, Air Force Base in Lafia and an additional Police Mobile Squadron in Akunza are all intended to further strengthen our security architecture to promote
socio-economic activities in the State.
