The Benue State Executive Council, chaired by Governor Hyacinth Alia, has approved an agreement expected to unlock about ₦378 billion in investment for the development of the National Food City Project at Ogyoma Akpa in Otukpo Local Government Area.
Announced by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chief Solomon Iorpev, after the council meeting, the landmark private-sector agricultural investment is projected to create more than 15,000 direct jobs. It will establish an integrated agricultural and processing complex designed to strengthen the state’s food sufficiency programme and accelerate the shift from primary production to value-added processing. The project is expected to cover more than 30,000 hectares of land and mobilise approximately 40,000 farmers who will supply primary commodities including rice, cassava, maize and livestock feed. The facilities will process agricultural produce into finished products for both domestic consumption and export. The investment agreement is structured to run for 25 years, after which the facility will be handed over to the Benue State Government for full ownership.
In a related development, the Executive Council also received the announcement of the unbundling of Benue State into SUB-WASH, a World Bank-assisted programme aimed at reforming and expanding the state’s water supply and sanitation system. The initiative is expected to open up the water sector, improve access to clean and potable water, and introduce reforms to existing laws governing water and sanitation, while creating greater opportunities for private-sector participation through public-private partnership arrangements. A SUB-WASH team is already in the state assessing the old and Greater Makurdi Water Works for possible expansion, particularly the extension of reticulation networks to new layouts within Makurdi. Similar interventions are planned for the Katsina-Ala and Otobi water works as part of efforts to strengthen water infrastructure across Benue.
