Edo State Government has engaged with key stakeholders in the state’s industrial sector for the expansion of the Edo Production Centre initiative to four more locations across the state, as part of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s industrialization drive.
According to officials, this move followed the success recorded with the pilot Edo Production Centre located at Sapele Road axis of Benin City, which has led to increased agitation from business owners for expansion of the initiative to accommodate more businesses.
Three of the new production centres are to be sited in Benin, and one in Auchi
Managing Director, Edo State Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs), Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, speaking during a stakeholders meeting on the new projects, said 3 of the four Centers would focus on providing a conducive co-creation space for furniture making, food processing, fashion and painting.
She noted that the session was organised to learn the peculiar challenges of the key players in the focus areas and develop a strategy to efficiently support them.
“We got very rich insight from them. This insight is going to help tailor the production concept to fit into the industries that we are working in.”
Head, Edo State Investment Promotion Office, Mr. Kelvin Uwaibi said the stakeholders meeting has availed them with details of the needs of the business operators, noting that appropriate measures to address such concerns would be incorporated into design of the new centres.
Participants at the session, Emobvo Courage and Osianwa Maria-Goretti, commended the initiative and asked the government to remove unnecessary bottle-necks in the process of locating their businesses at the centres so they can easily access spaces in the facilities.
