Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, on Thursday, called for the establishment of an Export Processing Zone in Taraba State.
Ishaku made the call during a meeting with the management of the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority.
The governor said the establishment of the zone would help the state in promoting economic development.
He told the management of the agency that his administration was interested in promoting development in three critical areas of agriculture, tourism and mining, and urged NEPZA to assist the state to achieve the goal.
“My administration is determined to ensure that youths in the state are gainfully engaged. I am already laying a solid foundation that would facilitate the achievement of this objective.
“I am also improving the infrastructure in the state to support the envisaged dispensation of large scale exportation of goods from Taraba.
“Already, the Jalingo Airport is being expanded to accommodate bigger aircraft while roads are also being reconstructed to facilitate movement of goods in and out of the state,” he said.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of NEPZA, Adesoji Adesugba, expressed the willingness of his agency to give Taraba all the necessary professional advice towards sustainable development of a productive economy anchored on the export of agricultural produce.
Adesugba said from the information at his disposal, Taraba State has agricultural potentials that could feed the entire African markets, particularly, rice production and assured the government that everything would be done to ensure that Taraba State derives maximum economic benefits from its agricultural, tourism and mineral resources.
