Ogun State is set to become the home of the largest cotton and apparel industry in West Africa, with an estimated 40,000 job opportunities.
Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun announced this during a meeting with the Minister of State for Industry, Trade, and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, who visited the governor at his office in Abeokuta.
“We are planning to house the biggest cotton and apparel industry, perhaps in West Africa,” Governor Abiodun stated. “The groundbreaking is scheduled to take place soon, and that industry promises to employ about 40,000 people when it starts, and they are all in our Special Processing Zone.”
The facility will be situated in Ogun’s Special Agro-Processing Zone, strategically located near the state’s soon-to-be-completed Agro-cargo and passenger airport, which will also host the country’s largest customs facilities. The entire area will operate as an “aerotropolis,” a hub for efficiency and production, combining the airport, processing zone, and customs operations.
Governor Abiodun emphasized that the state’s growth vision hinges on public-private partnerships, focusing on infrastructure, social welfare, education, youth employment, and agriculture. “Our blueprint is to create a conducive business environment,” he said, outlining efforts in road construction, housing, healthcare, education, and youth empowerment to improve living standards.
Highlighting Ogun’s abundant resources, including bitumen, limestone, and gold, the governor noted the state’s proximity to Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub. “We are working towards becoming an oil-producing state in a short while,” Abiodun added.
Senator Enoh praised Ogun’s industrial growth, calling it “the main belt of Nigeria’s industrial base.” He also emphasized the need for collaboration between industries and government to overcome challenges and drive economic advancement in line with President Bola Tinubu’s eight-point agenda on industrialization and diversification.