By Ben Adoga, Abuja
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has assured that the Abuja Industrial Park would create 40,000 direct jobs when fully completed.
The Minister gave the assurance yesterday when he inspected the facility in the Idu area of Abuja.
After being conducted around the Park by the Managing Director of Zeberced Group, Adil Again Kurt, the lead company in charge of the facility, Wike expressed delight that the Park had the capacity to revolutionise the economy of the FCT and the nation at large.
The minister assured that he would facilitate dualisation of the single lane of the road into the Park.
He also disclosed that the Park had been given a free trade zone status to facilitate companies into the Park for production.
“When fully operational, the Park shall create 40,000 direct employments. This is mind-boggling. This is the first time I have come to this Abuja Industrial Park,” Wike said.
“One of the things we considered, if you look at the road from which we came in, is that it is a single lane. Following what is happening here, the Government has offered to dualise the road,” he added.
It’s about 8 to 10 km. It’s like a tax holiday to enable them dualise the road. This will benefit us tremendously,” Wike stressed.
“This is what we talk about growing the economy. It’s about creating employment for the youth.
While speaking further on the park’s prospects, the minister said: “Many companies would like to come here to enjoy the benefits of the free trade zone. There will be regular electricity, which encourages production in industries.”
Wike said, “Having gone around, I can attest that this is what we need to grow the economy. No government can employ all the unemployed youths. We will ensure that we approve the road dualisation to fast-track it.
“You can imagine how this area will be when the whole Idu area will be developed in three to four years.
He (the MD of Zeberced Group) has assured me that this project will be completed in 29 months. The whole of this place will be opened up. Every city can only develop with an industrial park. From what I see, this is a wonder.”
Wike also assured that the FCT was safe for residents and businesses.
He urged other companies to emulate Zeberced Group and come into the park for production.
“If they don’t have confidence in our security, no company will invest millions of dollars in it.”
The Managing Director of Zeberced Group, Adil Again Kurt, said the Park sits on 250 hectares of land, which 208 workshops for medium and small-scale businesses would occupy. At the same time, the other space will accommodate 200 factories.
He said his company was providing infrastructure for the companies coming in.
The park’s items include concrete slabs, manhole concrete, plastic materials, roofing sheets, pipes, and international-quality agro and pharmaceutical products.
