The Africa Development Bank (ADB) is to join hands with Katsina State Government for the development of an industrial park in the stste, the Governor, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina has disclosed.
The Governor stated this when select members of the Katsina business community, who were in Abuja for a business clinic, led by the Katsina State Commissioner of Commerce, Alhaji Abubakar Yusuf, paid him a courtesy visit at the Governor’s Lodge on Wednesday 19th July, 2017.
Most of the members of the group are into farming and export of soya beans, sesame, moringa plant, hibiscus plant and casea plant, among others.
Governor Masari said that as a measure of his administration’s seriousness to fast track industrial development in the state, his government has received the report from a firm of international consultants contracted to bring out a suitable blueprint for the industrial park, in line with international standard.
According to the Governor, his administration’s seriousness of purpose, coupled with the abundance of solid mineral resources and suitability and location of the state for mining, farming and allied purposes, persuaded the ADB to team up with the Katsina State Government financially to develop the industrial park.
As part of the LAKAJI (Lagos-Kano-Jibia) Corridor, a United Nations/ Africa Union designated economic zone, and being a gateway to neighbouring Niger Republic, Katsina state, according to Governor Masari, is the ideal place for agro alied and other business to thrive.
The proposed industrial park project, which is expected to fully come on stream in the next two years, has already started attracting interest from leading local and foreign industrialists and industrial concerns, including Alhaji Aiko Dangote President and CEO of the Dangote conglomerate and Alhaji AbdulSamad Rabi’u Chairman and CEO of BUA group as well as the India based Mahindra group and others from China Europe and the USA, the Katsina Governor disclosed further.
Governor Masari assured the Katsina state business community that the APC administration at both state and national levels would do everything possible to encourage them to compete favourably with other players in their areas of interest.
The Katsina state Governor expressed concern at the complaints by the Katsina business community alleging that NAFDAC and Bank of Industry (BOI) have provided astringent conditions which have made it impossible for members to access their services.
Promising to take up the matter with the two federal agencies, he said that his administration would leave nothing to chance in providing the enabling environment for local businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive and succeed, revealing that his administration has expended about four billion naira towards empowering women and youths in the state.
