The African Development Bank (AfDB) and its partners have secured $2.2 billion (approximately ₦3.4 trillion) to drive the second phase of Nigeria’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs), set to span 24 states.
Dr Akinwumi Adesina, outgoing President of the AfDB, shared this development during the 2025 Standard Chartered Bank Africa Summit, which recently took place in Lagos.
In a presentation obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Adesina explained that the funding would support the scale-up of the SAPZ initiative, which aims to transform Nigeria’s agricultural landscape through infrastructure-enabled processing zones.
He noted that the first phase of the project had already taken off in eight locations: Ogun, Oyo, Cross River, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory, with support from the AfDB and allied institutions.
Adesina, who previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, described the programme as a game-changer for food systems in the country. He said it would bolster national food security, stimulate local production, and generate large-scale employment across rural areas.
He called attention to the pressing need for intensified investments to unlock agricultural potential not just in Nigeria but across Africa, especially by enabling value addition along the continent’s supply chains.
“The AfDB is investing significantly in the development of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones across Africa,” he said. “These zones are equipped with infrastructure designed to support the growth of industries focused on processing a wide array of agricultural produce.”
According to him, the Bank has already committed over $934 million to the development of the SAPZs and has jointly raised an additional $938 million through co-financing arrangements with partners including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the West African Development Bank (BOAD).
He also mentioned that AfDB and its partners have jointly established the Alliance for Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones to fast-track the rollout of the initiative across the continent. The alliance currently has commitments totalling $3 billion.
Adesina added that construction and development work is already underway across 27 SAPZ locations spread across 11 African countries.
