Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule on Wednesday inaugurated the groundbreaking of a N30 billion Cassava Industrial City in Kokona Local Government Area, marking a significant step in the state’s agro-industrialisation efforts.
The project, initiated shortly after the National Economic Council (NEC) conference on Renewed Hope Ward Development Planning, positions Nasarawa as one of the first states translating NEC’s resolutions into actionable grassroots economic projects.
Addressing traditional rulers, landowners, and investors, Governor Sule emphasised that the initiative aligns with national goals of promoting domestic processing and value addition.
“The whole idea from the NEC conference is about developing the ward. By the time we have this project—the biggest cassava industrial city in Nigeria, then we have developed this ward in the area of cassava,” he said.
Sequoia Farm Limited is promoting the industrial city as a fully integrated value chain operation, covering cultivation, processing, and production of ethanol, starch, high-quality cassava flour, animal feed, and bio-energy.
Phase one, part of a five-year plan (2025–2030), will cultivate 500 hectares under an outgrower model, with 80 per cent of participation reserved for women from the host community.
Governor Sule stressed the importance of community engagement, noting that local support is crucial for project security.
He also revealed that Indian investors are exploring 10,000 hectares in Toto and the Akwanga–Kokona axis for a cashew value chain project, describing both initiatives as practical responses to NEC’s call for reducing the export of unprocessed raw materials.
Sule, soon to be recognised as Industrial Governor of Northern Nigeria, highlighted his focus on equipping local youths with skills to operate advanced processing equipment, saying: “I may not be the governor by then. But I will be the happiest person if I am still alive to come back here and witness that development.”
NASIDA CEO Ibrahim Abdullahi described the project as a direct outcome of the governor’s economic strategy, while Sequoia Farm CEO Cheta Udezue credited government infrastructure and policy support for making the project feasible.
Dr Mustapha Bakano, President of the National Cassava Growers Association, hailed the Kokona initiative as Nigeria’s first 10,000-hectare cassava industrial city, and HRH Abaga Tony of Kokona LGA, Lawrence Ayih JP, thanked the governor for resolving issues that had delayed the project.
The initiative is a milestone in Nasarawa’s drive to end the export of unprocessed raw materials and boost local industrialisation.
