USD2.6 billion Invested,60 million Jobs Created
…. As AU-AEZO Symposium ends in Abuja
Story: Mohammed Abu
The 5th African Union Commission(AUC)Symposium on Special Economic Zones(SEZs) and the 7th Annual Meeting of Africa Economic Zones Organization(AEZO) ended recently in the Nigerian capital of Abuja with an expression of interest by President Bukhari to collaborate with SEZs in Africa to benefit from the AfCfTA.
The Nigerian President also commended the AFZO for bringing Free Zone Operators in Africa together through the event which was held under the theme, “African Special Economic Zones: Engine for Resilience and Acceleration for Sustainable Industrial Development”
In his opening statement, secretary general of AEZO Ahmed Bennis, hailed the development of SEZs on the continent as drivers of economic development.
“Over the past five years, 60 million jobs have been created in agro-processing, industrial fields, and services and more than $2.6 billion has been invested in the development of SEZ projects in the continent,” he said.
In a recorded statement for the event, the president of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, argued SEZ can help change that. “The role of SEZs is to accelerate sustainable industrial value chain development,” he said.
