By Sam Tyav, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Iornem Alia, has assured that the signing of the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Project (GIP) will boost agricultural productivity and enhance private-sector investment in Nigeria.
The assurance came during the signing of the commercial phase of the GIP 1 at Presidential Villa, Abuja.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary (COS) to the Governor, Tersoo Kula on Wednesday, March 19, in Makurdi quoted the governor as lauding the project following it’s importance for the people of Benue state.
The governor’s spokesman stated that Benue as the food basket of the nation, was the happiest among the subnationals to witness the signing of the agreement.
The governor, according to the statement, assured that his administration would give full support to the success of the project, especially as his state ”does not only hold the basket, but the food and its surpluses for the nation.”
During the signing ceremony, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, disclosed that his administration was poised to enhance the nation’s food security and agricultural productivity.
He noted that the GIP initiative was one of the ways the current administration was seeking to address the food security challenges the country was facing.
According to the President, it was imperative for government to synergise and use existing initiatives for the purpose of policy continuity, utilising or leveraging on strategic opportunities to drive the country’s economic growth and also to enhance investor confidence.
He appreciated the Minister for Agriculture, that of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as well as the Foreign Affairs Minister, among others, for the success of the project.
The Brazilian Ambassador to Nigeria, Carlos Garcete, in his remarks, appreciated President Tinubu for bringing the long negotiation to a fruitful conclusion, pointing out that it was a great honour for Brazil to associate with the GIP.
He stressed that negotiations in the past seven years with the Federal Government were with a view of obtaining the necessary funds from private and regional development banks to finance the project.
The Ambassador described the project as one that will allow for the importation of agricultural equipment such as tractors, spare parts and machine assemblage which will be done in Nigeria with Nigerian labour, disclosing that repairs will be carried out by Nigerian personnel who are to be trained by GIP.
GIP is the largest agricultural project in Africa which priotises the development of sustainable, low-carbon agriculture even as it also aims to develop structural conditions to boost food production in Nigeria in an efficient and competitive manner.
It could be recalled that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for GIP 1 was signed in 2018, while the $4.3 billion phase 2 of the project and the $2.5 billion JBS were signed in Brazil during President Tinubu’s visit to the country in 2024, all amounting to the tune of approximately $8 billion.
