The Federal Government and the Netherlands have commenced plans to set up a Dutch agro-industrial park in Nigeria, in line with the determination of the current administration to create jobs, generate wealth and boost economic growth.
The Senior Special Assistant on Corporate Communications to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Yemi Kolapo, said in a statement made available on Tuesday that the decision to explore the strengths of both countries for a win-win economic relationship was reached during a meeting between her boss, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, and the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, on the sidelines of the Nigeria-Netherlands Business and Investment Forum in the Hague, Netherlands.
“The Netherlands has a well-developed food processing industry. They are also the largest producers and exporters of food. This, combined with the availability of raw materials and the large market in Nigeria, will give rise to a successful partnership on the establishment of an industrial zone on food processing in Nigeria,” Aganga said.
The two ministers agreed to set up a technical team to execute the project as fast as possible.
The Netherlands’ foreign trade minister also disclosed that the country was setting up a €700m growth fund to help its small and medium-scale enterprises to invest in growth areas and agreed to the Federal Government’s proposal to put Nigeria on that list.