Federal government has commenced full activation of the six private sector-led special economic zones across the country.
The minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chief Niyi Adebayo, who made this known yesterday, during the opening of a technical session of the 13th meeting of the National Council on Industry, Investment and Trade held in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital said they were being established in Lekki, Eyimba, Funtua, lbom, Kano, and Benue.
At the event with the theme, “Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development in Nigeria: The role of stakeholders” he also disclosed the sum of N56.84 billion had been disbursed to drive (MSMEs) in Nigeria, out of the N75 billion survival fund earmarked to boost the sector by President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.
Represented by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr. Evelyn Ngige, Adebayo added that the ministry was working through the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, to ensure the authority delivers the establishment of three SEZs in 2022.
He said the survival fund scheme was targeted at strengthening ordinary Nigerians and reduce the poverty index to the barest minimal.
Adebayo added that the ministry had, “in line with the presidential directive for the establishment of at least one agro-processing zone in each of the 109 Senatorial Zones, commenced the process of collecting agro-commodities data in 16 states of Ebonyi, Plateau, Edo, Jigawa Ondo, Gombe, Abia, Benue, Osun, Sokoto, Zamfara, Enugu, Ekifi, Bauchi, Kebbi and Bayelsa States for the first phase of the implementation.’’
