President Bola Tinubu’s guarantee to support manufacturers in the society.
He gave the assurance at the inauguration of a tomato-processing plant by multinational firm, GB Foods, in Gafara, in Ngaski Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
According to a statement from the firm, the President, who was replaced by Senator Abubakar Kyari the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, said, “Let me say that this is the second time I am coming to Kebbi State in a little over a month. First, I visited a Rice Mill, the largest in West Africa, and today I’m visiting the largest tomato factory in Africa, all in Kebbi State.”
Tinubu stated that GB Foods’ investment reviews the confidence of foreign investors in Nigeria’s policy environment.
The food processing company, with footprints in over 50 African and European countries, described the plant as a significant expansion of its investment in Nigeria.
With their farm and factory, spanning 1500 hectares of land, process a 620 metric tonnes per day processing plant and generates 2000 jobs, which GB Foods plans to double in the next expansion phase.
The farm and processing facility will be Africa’s biggest integrated tomato project.
Also, Dr Nasir Idris, the Kebbi State Governor, commended the company for its boldness in tackling challenges head-on, noting that while the project began under the leadership of former Governor Atiku Bagudu, it had been completed during his tenure.
He showed gratitude to the company for engaging 3,335 local out-growers for tomato production in the state and pledged full government support to ensure the plant operates at maximum capacity.
The Chief Executive Officer of GB Foods Nigeria, Vincent Egbe, stated that in the 2022-23 season, GB Foods’ farm and factory in Kebbi played a pivotal role in generating 75 per cent of the total tomato concentrate produced in Nigeria.
He said, “Today’s ground-breaking event is a testament to what we stand for and the potential of investments in Nigeria.
“We have laid the foundation as the first large-scale tomato processing company in Nigeria to expand into backward integration, constructing a 620 metric tonnes per day processing plant and developing 1,500 hectares of tomato farms here in Kebbi State.”
