2025 SAPZ Strategic Implementation Workshop for staff of the program across Nigeria.

The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones Program (SAPZ), a program of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has held the 2025 Strategic Implementation Workshop for staff of the program across Nigeria.

The SAPZ program, a major initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria is aimed at accelerating the industrialization of the agricultural sector in Nigeria for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. The first phase of the program is currently being implemented in seven (7) states and the Federal Capital Territory.

It is in its bid to accelerate program implementation across all the participating states that a strategic implementation workshop amongst all State Program Implementation Units (SPIUs) was organized under the coordination of the National Coordination Office (NCO), to develop an accelerated plan to deliver on the set targets and deliverables for 2025.

The major objective of the workshop was to develop the 2025 SAPZ Program Strategic Implementation Plan as well as to update and finalize the 2025 Annual Workplan and Budget (AWPB) FOR SAPZ SPIUs and the NCO based on the necessary targets set for 2025 considering the program lifetime, update and finalize the 2025 Procurement Plan, develop the 2025 SAPZ Program strategic implementation Plan across the three financiers: AFDB, IFAD and ISDB among several other objectives.

In his opening address too, the National Program Coordinator (NPC), Dr. Kabir Yusuf appreciated efforts of the State Program Coordinators in ensuring that their SPIUs attended the workshop at the short notice given, adding that their efforts show a commitment to ensuring that the SAPZ works.

He told participants that the SAPZ Program has attained presidential approval as a priority project to achieve agricultural sustainability in Nigeria. Kabir further reiterated the objectives and expectations of the workshop, which is to finalize the 2025 Annual Workplan and Budget as well  as to develop a strict implementation plan to adhere to, hoping that concrete plans will be developed at the end of the workshop, so that the SAPZ records enormous and impactful achievements in the year 2025.

Other presentations were those from funders of the program in Nigeria, who gave a run through of their expectations for the meeting. First was a presentation by the Task Manager, Dr. Chuma, who explained that the target of the project this year is to ensure that by mid-2025, the project would have made disbursements of up to 40%, adding that Phase II of the SAPZ program is dependent upon how well Phase I has done, especially with regards to the construction of the DBO. 

Additionally, implementing states made presentations on their Annual Workplan and Budget (AWPB), followed by questions and observations. The workshop also had breakout sessions for sectional heads, that involved group discussions at thematic levels.

Expected deliverables at the end of the workshop include; a finalized 2025 AWPB for all SAPZ states and the NCO, finalized 2025 procurement and disbursement plans for all SAPZ states and NCO, among several other deliverables.

The 2025 SAPZ 1 Program Strategic Implementation Workshop was held at the Green Legacy Resort, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State.