Edo to Unveil Domesticated EGRP at Investment Summit

The Edo State Government has said it will unveil its economic blueprint fashioned after the Economic Growth and Recovery Plan (EGRP) of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government, launched by President Muhammadu Buhari, on April 5, 2017.

A statement sent to THISDAY and signed by the Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, explained that the Obaseki-led government will at the Alaghodaro Investment Summit, which is scheduled for 10th to 12th November, 2017, will showcase its ambitious agricultural programmes that gave birth to the Edo Fertiliser and Chemical Company, which was commissioned by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, in Auchi, to boost the local production of fertiliser in the state. The Edo Fertiliser Plant and Chemical Company Limited is a public-private venture which has the capacity to produce about 60,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser per annum.

Also to be paraded at the Investment Summit, which will be attended by captains of industry is the Edo State Saro Farm in Sobe, Owan West Local Government Area of the state, where harvest is currently ongoing.

The Public-Private Partnership initiative with Saro Agro Sciences Ltd., a leading company in agribusiness, was conceived by Governor Godwin Obaseki to create jobs for thousands of youths across the state.

Obaseki was quoted in the statement to have said that the maize farm is part of his administration’s accelerated agriculture initiative to boost job creation in the state, as between 50,000 to 80,000 agricultural jobs would be created before the end of the year in the state.

The first phase of the initiative targets job creation for 1,000 farmers through the cultivation of 5,000 hectares of maize farms across five local government areas of the state.

The statement added that the Edo Industrial Park which has received positive reviews by development analysts will top discourses at panel and technical sessions during the three-day Alaghodaro Investment Summit in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

It added: “On completion, the industrial park will be linked to the Azura-Edo Independent Power Plant (IPP) under construction, situated close to Nigeria’s main trunkline, the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) which is only 1km from the Azura-Edo project site.

“On job creation, the 200,000 job target of Edo State will be reviewed at the summit side by side with the sectors that can produce the highest number of jobs, as encapsulated in the EGRP.”