Breaking: Uba Sani Taps $538m Agribiz Funds to Launch SAPZ for 500,000 Jobs
By Nasir Dambatta
Jubilation has erupted in Kaduna as Governor Uba Sani takes a giant leap in agricultural industrialization with the launch of Nigeria’s first Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ)—a groundbreaking initiative poised to transform agribusiness, lift over 500,000 people out of poverty, and supercharge the state’s economy.
Powered by a share out of the $538 million Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone programme—jointly funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Islamic Development Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Federal Government—Kaduna is among the first states to benefit from this multi-state initiative aimed at driving rural industrialization across Nigeria.
At the groundbreaking ceremony on April 8, AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina commended Governor Uba Sani for making agriculture a top priority and fostering inclusive governance. He hailed Kaduna as a state that “listens and executes.”
The SAPZ will anchor agro-processing in strategic value chains such as maize, rice, soybeans, cassava, poultry, and livestock. It is expected to create over 500,000 jobs and directly benefit more than 100,000 farmers through enhanced access to markets, technology, and infrastructure.
Governor Uba Sani described the project as a “game-changer,” saying: “This initiative will unlock Kaduna’s agricultural potential, reduce rural poverty, and create sustainable livelihoods.”
The SAPZ model clusters agro-industrial activities in zones of high agricultural output, reducing post-harvest losses, boosting productivity, and attracting massive private sector investment.
Kaduna’s SAPZ marks a historic step in Nigeria’s pursuit of food security, rural prosperity, and economic diversification.
