Agro-processing

Moses Uwagbale

The established agro-processing zones nationwide should be driven by the Organised Private Sector (OPS) to make them more prosperous, the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), has advised.

Dr Abubakar Al-Mujtaba, ACCI President made the call in a statement in Abuja and said that the zones should be the turf of the OPS while the government should provide enabling framework, support and environment to make the project thrive.

Al-Mujtaba described the policy action as a timely response to the push for diversification of the economy to bridge dwindling fortune of the oil sector and tackle challenges of African Continental Free Trade Area.

“We are excited by the coverage of the planned project which confirms the seriousness of the federal and state governments to address agricultural value urgency to increase export earnings and compete locally and internationally.

“The expected massive output will make up for the late action to upgrade the national agricultural exporting capacity.

“The OPS has the skills and the experience to transform the dream of the government into reality in term of a diversified economy with maximum efficiency.

“The private sector has the qualities of less waste, transparent business model and value for money,” he said.

He further noted that the project would also gain from the time tested industry’s experience in the processing sub-sector, while leveraging on the extensive capacity of the private sector to drive such a business model.

He particularly commended the Ministers of Agriculture as well as that of Industry, Trade and Investment for their collaboration and foresight.

He hoped that full integration of the private sector into the design and implementation process would make a huge difference in the attainment of the project’s goals and agenda.