The Ogun State Government has described the recently approved Kajola Dry Port as a game changer in the economy of the state.
The state said that when it kickstarted, it would create at least 40,000 jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers.
This was just as it assured all stakeholders that their interests had been captured in the project, adding that the construction of the dry port would expand the internally generated revenue for the state, reduce transport and transaction costs, and attract various infrastructure and regional development projects, amongst others.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Olugbenga Dairo, disclosed this on Thursday in a statement sent to journalists in the state capital, Abeokuta.
Dairo said efforts had reached an advanced stage in actualising the Governor Dapo Abiodun administration’s vision for the envisioned dry port at Kajola, Papalanto, in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.
The commissioner hinted that the government is determined to make Ogun Nigeria’s first investment and business destination.
He disclosed that the approval given to the state by the Federal Government to develop a dry port followed its strategic identification in the state’s Multimodal Transportation Master Plan.
Tracing the origins of the project, the commissioner said, “In 2021, His Excellency, Governor Dapo Abiodun, directed us to put together a strategic Multimodal Transportation Master Plan for Ogun State.
“This we did in conjunction with experts from the prestigious Olabisi Onabanjo University and support from the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office.
“We were very mindful of the aspirations of His Excellency for economic and industrial development for the state, and so we deemed it critical to plan for an airport and a dry port.
“The airport is nearing completion, and our congruent plan is to develop a dry port that will receive goods from Apapa and Tincan dry ports.
“The good news is that we have gotten the Federal Government’s approval to develop, and we are not resting our oars on other processes towards this realisation.
“The proposed site has been satisfactorily assessed to be proximate to both the NRC narrow and standard gauge rail lines. It is a flat land good for a dry port, and there are Lafarge and Dangote cement factories within its catchment area.
“We are having constant engagements with the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Nigeria Shippers Council, ICRC, and recently, we visited the Nigeria Railway Corporation in Oyingbo, Lagos, and engaged the Commissioner for Police and Nigeria Civil Defence in that station on the way forward.”
Speaking further, Dairo stated that Abiodun, being a private sector person who has operated in various international institutions, understands best practices, and appreciates a keen focus on policy development and project delivery, is promoting international best practices to make Ogun State the best destination for investors.
