The Kaduna State Government has become the first to launch the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) in Nigeria.
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, made this known during a meeting with Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani at the Government House in Kaduna on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Adesina, who commended Sani’s commitment to agricultural transformation, cited Kaduna State’s budgetary increase for agriculture, from N1.4 billion to N74 billion.
The AfDB president added that the increase is an example of political will backed by substantial investment.
Adesina said: “You didn’t just put your money where your mouth is, you put your money where your mind and your body are.
“Kaduna’s leadership on this project reflects not just a vision for food security, but a roadmap for economic prosperity and inclusive development.”
Adesina further described Kaduna as a trailblazer, saying: “You are the first state to launch the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone in Nigeria. This is a great day for us all.”
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The AfDB president also commended the state’s hospitality, adding that “not only did we get hospitality here in Kaduna, I think we got maternity too – because your deputy governor is a medical doctor.”
Adesina emphasized the AfDB’s commitment to supporting Kaduna State in expanding school feeding programmes and integrating them with the new processing zones.
He pledged additional support for primary health care improvements, health insurance, and infrastructure, including water, sanitation, and digitalisation.
The AfDB described Governor Sani as “a model leader – he’s a listener, a unifier, and above all, a doer.”
In his remarks, Sani described Adesina as “a blessing to Nigeria, Africa, and humanity”, just as he applauded the AfDB president’s transformative work in agriculture across the continent.
The governor said Adesina’s initiative, when he was Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture years back, has benefited more than 15 million smallholder farmers across Nigeria, mostly in Northern Nigeria, through his E-wallet initiative.
He described the launch of the Agro-Industrial Processing Zone as a very important project for Kaduna State.
Governor Sani also commended Adesina for his efforts in transforming agriculture in Nigeria and across Africa.
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