The Scan Flex Engineering Company Limited (SFECL), a Danish Engineering Consulting Company, on Thursday signed a contract agreement with Pan Atlantic Farmers investment Ltd (PAFIL), Nsukka, in a Enugu State, to build a multi-billion-euro farm and food processing plants in the state.
Mr. Lasse Jacobsen, who is the President SFECL, signed on behalf of his company while Mr. Okechukwu Eze, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PAFIL, signed for the farmers.
Speaking shortly after the deal was sealed, Jacobsen said with the signing of the contract his company had been empowered to build a mega farm, food processing plants and other facilities in Opanda Uzowani.
He said the project, worth 100 billion euros, would be funded by Danish Investment Ltd., that has responsibility to fund projects in under-developed countries globally so as to fast track development.
“The farmers, under the aegis of PAFIL, have satisfied all the requirements and with the signing of the contract today the project will start in no distant time.
“I have known the CEO of PAFIL for many years and he has done all that is required which made it possible for the signing of this multi-billion-euro contract,” he said.
He urged farmers in the state to avail themselves of the opportunities the project would provide in farming and food processing to make more money and improve their standard of living.
“With the food processing plants, farmers will no longer witness any farm product waste as all agriculture products in the area will be bought from farmers, processed and exported to different parts of the world,” he said.
Responding, Eze described the signing of the contract as a landmark achievement, saying negotiations for this project started since 2014.
“Jacobsen is a world-class engineer with over 40 years experience.
“The signing of the contract has empowered his company to come and build agro-mega farm project for our farmers that will be full of processing plants.
“This project is cited in a 5,420 plots of land at Opanda, a community in Uzo-Uwani LGA,
“The aim is to make the area an agricultural industrial hub of Southeast Nigeria,” he said.
According to Eze, when the project is completed it would have an estate of 300 housing units, football academy, vocational training center, Nursery, primary and secondary schools, fire fighting center, Independent off grid power plant, and water among others.
He said that the project would provide employment to millions of Nigerians who would work in the farms, food processing plants, schools, football academy, vocational training centre, and other facilities.
“We are going to partner with institutions like the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Their students will work for us as well as do the industrial training with us.
“This project will not only provide more employments but increase foreign exchange earnings of the country as processed foods will be exported to different countries of the world,” he said.
The CEO disclosed that the projects are expected to take off by first quarter of 2023.
NAN reports that, Mr Williams Mamah, Secretary and Legal Adviser of PAFIL, Mr. Victor Ugwu, Manager, First City Monument Bank, Nsukka, and Igwe Lazarus Ugwoke, the Traditional Ruler of Ichi community in Igbo-Eze North LGA, were among those who witnessed the signing ceremony.