President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has disclosed that Kaduna State is leading the way as the first to launch the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) in Nigeria.

When he paid a courtesy call at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Tuesday, Mr Adesina praised Governor Uba Sani’s commitment to agricultural transformation.

The AfDB president cited the state’s remarkable budgetary increase for agriculture, from N1.4 billion to N74 billion. He noted that the increase was an example of political will backed by substantial investment.

Mr Adesina said Kaduna’s leadership on the project reflects a vision for food security and a roadmap for economic prosperity and inclusive development.

The AfDB president described Kaduna as a trailblazer, saying, “You are the first state to launch the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone in Nigeria. This is a great day for us all.”

Mr Adesina emphasised the AfDB’s commitment to supporting the state in expanding the school feeding programme and integrating it with the new processing zones.

He pledged additional support for primary healthcare improvements, health insurance, and infrastructure, including water, sanitation, and digitalisation.

The AfDB president described Mr Sani as a model leader, saying, “he’s a listener, a unifier, and above all, a doer.”

In his remarks, Mr Sani described Mr Adesina as a blessing to Nigeria, Africa, and humanity.

Mr Sani said his initiative when he was Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture years back had benefited more than 15 million smallholder farmers nationwide, mostly in the north, through his E-wallet initiative.

According to Mr Sani, in Kaduna, agriculture contributes about 42 per cent of the GDP and accounts for about 60 per cent of employment.

“This is why we believe insecurity has hindered much of the development we could have achieved through agriculture because we believe it is one of the most important sectors to invest in. Part of what we did was to increase the agricultural budget from N1.4 billion, which we inherited in 2023, to N74 billion in the current budget.

“By doing that, we became the first sub-national government to achieve the 10 per cent target of the 2014 Malabo Declaration, which set the goal of allocating 10 per cent of the budget to agriculture,” he said.

Mr Sani also commended Mr Adesina for transforming agriculture in Nigeria and across Africa.

(NAN)