09/07/2022
Largest solar powered dairy factory in W/Africa, Admiral'A yoghurt launched in Adamawa
Sebore International farms was on the thrust of history, Thursday as the state of the art, largest solar powered dairy firm in West Africa, Admiral'A yoghurt was launched amidst pomp and pageantry.
The launching of the firm marks the beginning of the entrenchment of a solid economic blueprint via an industrial park that will usher in a shared prosperity amongst the immediate community of the firm, Adamawa State and Nigeria.
The project is supported by national and international partners including, Bill and Melinda gates foundation, the Sahel consulting group, Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) and Providus Bank.
In his keynote address, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sebore International farms, Mallam Aminu Nyako disclosed that the birth of the dairy firm, marked the beginning of an audacious dream to establish an industrial park archetypal to those in Dubai in order to rejuvenate the economic fortunes of Adamawa State and Nigeria.
He noted that the CBN's desire to end the era of importation of dairy products through the backward integration of milk made it a strategic partner in the project.
Nyako who went down memory lane noted that Sebore International farm which became and Export Processing Zone in 2021 was established in 1982 by his father Admiral Murtala Nyako with the vision of providing an enabling and deregulated environment for export manufacturing and peak commercial activities at par with the best Agro allied businesses in the world.
"Sebore Farms over the years, has mainly been known for its horticulture, Tropical mangoes. At a time, it was the largest of its kind in West Africa, exporting admiral’a mangos to Europe and the Middle East.
"The farm is known for its dairy products as well as its Agric extension services and very passionate about the increase in productivity of the average farmer.
"The farm offers extension services in crop production animal husbandry and artificial insemination all in a bid to increase the productivity of our people.
"In 2001 president Oluesegun Obansanjo deemed it necessary to reward and support the vision of Baba Maimangoro by making Sebore farms an Export Processing Zone," he said.
Nyako noted that three years ago, Nyako's family decided to reenergize the EPZ through the Sebore Agro Industrial Park, a gigantic project conceived to turn around the socio-economic fortunes of the Northeast and Nigeria as a whole.
He noted that the project will capitalize on the comparative advantage of the state to achieve the highly sought economic rejuvenation of the people noting that the state is highly blessed with human and natural resources which if properly harnessed with turn the land of beauty to an Eldorado.
"Our main resources in the state are livestock, cash crops, mineral resources, sunshine and really its people.
"To build a prosperous industrial area we not only have to utilize what we have in our immediate area, but leverage what our people already know and thrive on.
There had to be a sense of shared prosperity and inclusive growth where the growth for one is growth for all.
"We decide to start with livestock, as we are a cattle people. This is all so evident now with the current turbulence in the global markets and has shown that the peace of policy decision has better placed Nigeria in a position to feed itself.
"We are the largest black nation on earth with over 220m people with a young and growing demography of over 100m people. To grow, be healthy and live prosperous lives, we need Protein and the cheapest source of protein are milk and eggs.
"Three years ago, we did a survey and found 2.1million cattle are resident in Adamwa, that is massive potential.To be able to harness this great potential two things had to be in place that has hampered the development of this. sector. Power and Processing water and financial services.
"To address this gap, the Central Bank through our Bank, Providus Bank allowed us to access facilities that has birthed what you see before you today," he said.
Nyako said the Admira’A Dairy processing plant, is fully powered by renewable energy with the capacity to Process 150tonnes of milk everyday powered by solar power and Battery Energy Storage Systems with the capacity to produce and store 5mw of power.
Also speaking, the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele noted that the apex bank in its move to ensure the stoppage of importation of diary products supported the project through the Providus Bank.
Emefiele who was represented by Chika Nwanja, head of CBN credit and retail division, noted that the commissioning of the factory is one of the success stories of CBN in terms of intervention in the diary sector.
"We have intervened in the development of all agricultural value chains and we are now in diary products and Sebore happens to be the first on line. So many others are coming. We have massive projects in many states," he said.
Also speaking, the the Managing Director of Providus Bank, Walter Akpani lauded Amin Nyako saying that with promising young persons like him, the future of Nigeria will be secured.
"This is a landmark project for the future of agric. It is a testament of resilience and action," he said.
He also thanked the CBN for making the dream of the MD of Sebore Farms to start manifesting which is aimed at making the agricultural sector an earner of foreign exchange.
He noted that the company currently is the largest diary factory in Nigeria with a renewable energy source that can generate 5 megawatts, provides Mobile wallets to about 7,000 farmers and led to the employment of thousands of residents.
Also speaking, the founder of Sebore farms and former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako thanked God for enabling him to see the dream he established 40 years ago has been sustained.
"I indeed feel grateful that at the sunset of my life, I have seen the sunrise of another generation that will take Sebore to greater heights. In this regard, I would like to thank my son Aminu Nyako for his vision regarding the development of Sebore Export Processing Zone with his diary project," he said.
