November 22, 2017: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday November 21, 2017 inaugurated a privately owned Cashew Processing factory by FoodPro Nigeria Limited, in Ilorin, Kwara State. After the the inauguration, the Vice President inspected the factory in the company of the factory’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ayo Olajiga.
Osinbajo restated Buhari led administration’s commitment to continue to support the private sector with policies that would make life easier for them to do business.
Osinbajo was accompanied by Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; the Director General of BOI, Mr. Waheed Olagunju.
According to the company CEO, FoodPro Nigeria Limited had employed more than 400 staff with 90% of them being women since it started operations a few years back. He said the factory was expanded to produce 5,000 tonnes of processed cashew nuts a year and most of the company’s processed cashew outputs are for export to the United States of America (USA) and to local stores in Nigeria.
He said the choice of Kwara State for the factory was because of raw material coupled with the state government’s friendly business policies. He commended the Bank of Industry (BOI) for its support to the company and the Kwara State government.
During the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s one-day working visit to Kwara, he also commissioned the International Vocational, Training and Entrepreneurship College (IVTEC), Ajase-Ipo in Irepodun Local Government Area of the State.
Before returning to Abuja, he also performed the flag off and commissioning of 2 others projects in Ilorin, before returning back to Abuja.
Osinbajo launched the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) Market Moni, which was designed to serve as a one-stop shop for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the State. No fewer than 200 MSMEs in Kwara benefited from the programme, which was in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI).
The Vice President also commissioned a Syringe Manufacturing factory in Ilorin as well.