Kogi State Government has announced plans to upgrade the Adogo Airstrip to an international cargo airport after nearly 20 years of redundancy.
Governor Ahmed Ododo disclosed this when he met with the management of China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) led by the Managing Director, David Wang, at the Government House, Lokoja.
The proposed cargo airport, which will be executed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model by the state government and CCECC, will begin with a feasibility study and consultation with stakeholders in a few weeks, after which a project implementation committee will be constituted to see to its completion.
Ododo told the CCECC team that the cargo airport project “is of critical importance to the economic development of Kogi”, stressing that that state, endowed with huge agricultural potential and mineral deposits, requires a viable means of air transportation to be connected to markets within and outside the country.
The governor expressed optimism that the completion of the proposed cargo airport would further advance the economic development agenda of his administration by linking Kogi to gateways of economic activities through intermodal transportation systems like the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja and the Warri/Itakpe-Abuja rail line when fully completed.
Ododo further noted that ongoing road projects, including feeder roads in rural communities, which bear key agricultural and mineral resources, would find true expression in economic viability when connected to the proposed cargo airport.
Responding, Wang assured Ododo of his commitment to deliver on the project as soon as the feasibility study and other assessments and consultations required were completed by the government.
