The Kogi Government has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China’s Hezheng Holdings Group to build a modern agricultural science and technology industrial park.
Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Lokoja, describing it as a major step to fast-track Kogi’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) programme.
He noted that the deal transitions the SAPZ from planning to implementation, aiming to position Kogi as a leading agro-industrial hub in Nigeria.
“The SAPZ initiative is designed to boost food production, enhance processing capacity, create employment, attract private investment, and position Kogi as a leading agricultural and industrial hub,” Fanwo said.
Central to the partnership is a modern agro-tech industrial park that will drive agro-processing, technology transfer, equipment deployment, enterprise incubation, logistics, cold chain systems, export infrastructure, and sustainable power solutions.
The Kogi SAPZ structure includes the Ajaokuta Agro-Industrial Hub, Agricultural Transformation Centres in Anyigba, Alape, and Osara, and the Zariagi Agro-Air Hub. The programme will integrate existing farmer clusters with an additional 150,000 hectares of farmland per zone for large-scale, tenant-driven production.
“Priority value chains are rice, maize, cassava, livestock and poultry, sesame, cashew, oil palm, and greenhouse farming. Support systems will cover warehousing, cold chain logistics, power, compressed natural gas (CNG), agricultural technology, equipment, and export infrastructure,” he added.
Fanwo said the move reflected Kogi’s strategy to attract “credible technical partners, industrial park operators, investors, and global business platforms” into the SAPZ ecosystem.
During a visit to China, the Kogi team toured Hezheng facilities, including its investment promotion centre, agricultural industry exhibition hall, global launch hall, and live-streaming incubation base. Discussions focused on industrial park development, technology transfer, processing infrastructure, enterprise incubation, park management, investment mobilization, and equipment deployment.
Fanwo said technical and commercial workstreams would advance in the coming months toward full mobilization, including groundbreaking and setting up coordination offices in China, Kogi, and Abuja.
“This engagement underscores Kogi State Government’s commitment to transitioning the SAPZ programme from planning to execution, positioning the state as a competitive destination for agro-industrial investment,” he said.
The state delegation was led by Auditor General and Project Investment Adviser Yakubu Okala, representing Gov. Ahmed Ododo, and included Agriculture Commissioner Ojomah Timothy, Technical Adviser Dr. Abdullahi Ozomata, Chief Economic Adviser Aliyu Salami, and Project Consultant David Obatolu.
