By DORIS ESA

The Federal Government has inaugurated the Federal Inter- Agency Technical Committee for Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme.

The SAPZ initiative is a flagship programme designed to drive agro-industrialisation, promote value addition, create jobs, enhance food security, and attract private sector investments into rural economies.

Speaking at the inauguration of the committee on Friday in Abuja, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, said the committee would serve as the engine room for the operationalisation of the SAPZ programme.

Ogunbiyi said the programme is a strategic approach to unlocking Nigeria?s vast agricultural potential through cluster-based development and integrated infrastructure that links farmers to processors, markets, and industries.

He said that the roles of the committee included providing technical guidance on the implementation strategies of the programme,facilitating inter-agency coordination and information sharing among stakeholders.

Others, Ogunbiyi said was to identify and address technical gaps and recommending appropriate solutions as well as ensuring alignment of sectoral policies and programmes with SAPZ objectives among others.

He reiterated the ministry?s commitment to provide the enabling environment, leadership, and support to ensure that the programme achieved its intended outcomes.

?Together, we can make the SAPZ programme a model for agricultural transformation and sustainable economic development in Nigeria,? she said.

In his presentation, Dr Kabir Yusuf, the National Project Coordinator, SAPZ, who gave an overview of the programme, its achievements and challenges said the programme aimed at diversifying Nigeria?s economy through agriculture and reduction of food import bill.

Yusuf said that participating States in the first phase of the programme included,

Kano, Imo, Kaduna, Cross River, Kwara, Oyo and Ogun and Federal Capital territory (FCT).

?SAPZ is a cross-cutting platform to attract private sector investment into value added agro-processing to unlock opportunities for improved food security, job creation, export earnings, rural poverty reduction and increased contribution of agriculture to national GDP,? he said.

Earlier, Mrs Iluromi Olubunmi, the Director, Federal Department of Development Partnership Project, said the SAPZ initiative was timely.

?The inauguration of this committee is a significant step towards our collective effort to accelerate the development of the nation?s agricultural sector.

?The SAPZ initiative by design is positioned to unlock the full potentials of our agricultural value chains, promote agro-industrialisation, attract private sector investments, create jobs, and ultimately enhance food security and rural prosperity.

?The inauguration of this committee is timely and necessary to provide the required technical guidance, inter-agency coordination, and policy alignment needed for the successful implementation of the programme across the country,? she said. (NAN)

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