Governor Nasiru El-Rufai says his administration will never relent in its commitment to attract investors, as well as support the private sector to create jobs and develop the State.
The Governor noted that in spite of all security challenges, the State has been consistent in promoting the ease of doing business, fast tracking approvals and reinforcing its credentials as a business-friendly State.
El-Rufai made this known at a ground breaking ceremony of an industrial park, the Green Economic Zone, which is meant to attract firms to Kaduna.
He said the Fifteen Billion Naira project, which is a collaboration between Kaduna State government and KK Kingdom, will provide critical infrastructure to boost investments in the manufacturing sector, create jobs and reduce poverty in the State.
According to the Governor, such firms will create jobs as they industrialize the State, transfer skills and boost the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State.
Speaking on the partnership, he explained that, KK Kingdom is expected to build on the facilities already provided by government, such as the power substation.
“The collaboration with KK Kingdom is the sort of public-private partnership that Kaduna State government constantly seeks for the development of the State, hence, we expect KK Kingdom to complete the provision of roads, water reticulation, fibre optics and other infrastructure in the Green Economic Zone so that firms can begin operating there within the next two years.
“The ground breaking that took place in the Green Economic Zone complements the progress being recorded in other industrial park, the Green Agro Allied Industrial Zone (GAAIZ).
“Firms like Olam, OCP of Morocco which produces fertilizer and Dangote-Peugeot Assembly plant have already established their presence in GAAIZ.
“As a State government, we create jobs where we can but we support the private sector to create many jobs, and thereby help fight poverty and also contribute to state revenues,” said the Governor.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency, KADIPA, Umma Aboki, described the Green Economic Zone, GEZ as one of two industrial parks designated by Governor El-Rufai’s administration as part of its strategic intent to fast track the industrialization of the State and attract more investments.
She explained that the government has already built a power substation to service the GEZ, which is sited on 717 hectares of land strategically located on the Kaduna-Jos road.
Aboki added that the objective of GEZ is to provide a safe, secured and eco-friendly environment for firms in the light of manufacturing sector.
GEZ is an industrial park designed to provide a “plug and play” facility for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to enable them to operate competitively.
GEZ will help firms to establish their manufacturing plants more efficiently and reduce their cost of doing business.
