KADUNA TO BUILD GREEN ECONOMIC ZONE THROUGH PPP

Deputy Governor of Kaduna state, Dr Hadiza Balarabe has disclosed that the state is building a 700-hectare Green Economic Zone (GEZ) in the Marraban Jos area as a home for investments in light industry.

Dr Balarabe noted that the development of the GEZ as a public private partnership reflects the Malam Nasir El-Rufai administration's belief in partnerships with the private sector to realize the state's development goals.

The Deputy Governor who stated this at the signing of an agreement between Kaduna State Government and KK Kingdom Nigerian Limited to develop the Kaduna Green Economic Zone, said that the government expects the firm to complete the project within the 24 months that it promised.

'This proposed partnership with KK Kingdom, which is to be sited at the Green Economic Zone, will bring to light the government's desire to have an integrated industrial park that will now attract many investments into the state,' she said.

Speaking at the event, Governor El-Rufai's Senior Adviser and Counselor Jimi Lawal, also said that the state government has worked for over five years to develop the Green Economic Zone through Public-Private-Partnership. He said the scope of the project, which was initially conceived to sit on 310 hectares of land, has been expanded to occupy 700 hectares of land at Maraban Jos, along Kaduna-Jos road.

Mr Lawal said that the GEZ will house Agro-Allied Industries, Light Engineering and Electronics assembly that will create jobs for youths in the local community, adding that it will address challenges faced by potential investors in various sectors of the economy.

“The agreement is for them to go in there and do all the infrastructure requirements, including the roads, water, electricity reticulations, they will also provide fiber optics in the site.'

“So, today is a major milestone in the course of bringing GEZ to fruition. And after this baby step today, we will be able to take the giant step to do the ground-breaking on the 15th of June,' he said.

The agreement entails that KK Kingdom Nigerian Limited will create an industrial park for light manufacturing, electronics and logistics as well as solar parks that will attract local and foreign investments.

According to the agreement, KK Kingdom will also provide fully built and equipped business premises (plug and play units) for off-taker or subscribers to acquire and move in immediately, including serviced plots for private investors to develop themselves.