Kajola Dry Port to Create 40,000 Jobs, Says Ogun

James Sowole in Abeokuta

The Ogun State Government has described the recently approved Kajola Dry Port (KDP) as a game changer in the economy of the state with the expectation of creating at least 40,000 jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers.

The state government also assured stakeholders that their interests had been captured in the project, adding that the construction of the dry port would expand the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), reduce transport and transaction costs, and attract various infrastructure and regional development projects, amongst others.

This was disclosed by the Ogun State Commissioner for Transportation, Hon. Olugbenga Dairo, during a chat with journalists in Abeokuta. 

Dairo, who said that efforts had reached advanced stage in actualising the Dapo Abiodun’s administration’s vision for the KDP, Papalanto in Ewekoro Local Government Area of state, said that the government is determined to make the state Nigeria’s first investment and business destination.

He disclosed that the approval given to the state government by the federal government to develop a dry port followed its strategic identification in the state’s Multimodal Transportation Master Plan.

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 (OOU) and support from the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (UKFCDO).

“We were very mindful of the aspirations of His Excellency on the 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 got the federal government 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’s 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 Oyingbo, Lagos and engaged the Commissioner for Police and Nigeria Civil Defense in that station, on the way forward.”

Speaking further, Dairo said that Abiodun, being a private sector person who has operated in various international institutions, understands best practices and appreciates keen focus on policy development and project delivery, is promoting international best practices to make Ogun State the best destination for investors.