Jigawa State Government has secured an official Export Processing Zone licence from the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), a development believed to be a major step towards resuscitating the abandoned Maigatari Export Processing Zone, established 23 years ago by the State.
Aminu Kanta, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, stated this when members of the Gumel Emirate Foundation and Hadejia Development Association paid a working visit to the site of the processing zone in Maigatari.
Kanta noted that the acquisition of the licence signifies 60% of completion of the project, adding that further steps were being taken by the government to ensure the functionality of the zone, earlier conceived as a border market.
On completion, he said that the zone would be equipped with world-class facilities that would make it operate like other existing export processing zones, such as the ones in Ogun, Lagos, Calabar, and Kano.
The Commissioner revealed that several critical infrastructures, including warehouses, a bank, a clinic, a fire service unit, a radio station, and security services, are to be developed at the free trade zone.
He noted that already several companies within and outside of Nigeria had indicated interest in investing in the zone, a development that is expected to translate in the creation of approximately 100,000 employment opportunities.
Kanta further noted that when operational, the zone would serve as a catalyst for the transformation of the state economy, and communities situated around the locality where it is sited
Speaking during the visit, Sani Ahmed Babbandi, chairman of the Gumel Emirate Foundation, who is also the Dan Amar of Gumel, commended Governor Malam Umar Namadi, FCA, his dedication to the resuscitation of the project initially launched in 2003 by former Governor Ibrahim Saminu Turaki.
Babbandi praised the governor as a visionary leader and called on the implementation committee to establish a public sensitisation and resolution forum. This, he emphasised, would help raise community awareness about the economic benefits of the zone.
He also advocated for federal support in constructing a dual-lane truck road and a ring road around the zone to ease transportation and mitigate traffic challenges.
