N1.5Bn investment into Kano Free Trade Zone timely – NEPZA

The successful attraction by the Federal Government, of investment worth N1.5bn into the Kano Free Trade Zone (KFTZ) is not only timely, but also changes the fortunes of the city as an investment destination, the Managing Director, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Prof. Adesoji Adesugba has said.

Recall that government through its various incentives was recently able to attract Sunbelt Free Zone Enterprise to invest in the Kano Free Trade Zone, as part of efforts to create employment and contribute more to the Federal Government’s Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) via payment of taxes.

According to him, when operational, Sunbelt has the capacity of engaging 3,000 direct and indirect labour, stressing, “We are happy with this feat, this is the kind of investment the Federal Government is expecting us to sustain, it is the authority’s desire at this stage to position Nigeria for competitiveness in order to benefit maximally from the new Africa free trade regime made possible by the African Continental Free Trade Zone Agreement (ACFTA).”

In a statement, yesterday, by NEPZA Head of Media, Martins Odeh, Adesugba further explained that the authority and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment had so far collaborated seamlessly in executing President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive on using the scheme to generate employment for the country’s teeming youth population.

Meanwhile, NEPZA has said that there is no recruitment presently going on at the authority.

The authority made the clarification while responding to a purported 2021 NEPZA recruitment exercise published by an online outfit with www.careersafrika.com in Abuja.

Adesugba said the agency has not contemplated any recruitment exercise yet, adding that the authority has not also overtly or covertly engaged any recruitment firm to conduct recruitment on its behalf.

He explained that NEPZA is an agency of government with respect to standards and due process as it works tirelessly to actualize the Federal Government’s vision to industrialise the nation using free trade zone scheme.

He assured that the authority is resolute in carrying out its statutory mandate, which include a possible legal action against managers of the portal and its affiliates, if the fake NEPZA recruitment advertorial is not brought down immediately.