Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, has commissioned a 5,000 tonnes per year cashew processing factory, the FoodPro Limited, in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Osinbajo was accompanied by Abdulfatah Ahmed, the governor of Kwara State; Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture; Olusegun Awolowo, CEO/Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and Waheed Olagunju, the Executive Director of the Bank of Industry.
The Vice President, while speaking after a guided tour of the plant was extremely impressed by the factory and its commitment to adhering to global standards. He expressed the government’s resolve to support the private sector with policies that would aid local businesses.
Ayo Olajiga, Co-Founder/ CEO of FoodPro Limited, guided the Vice President on a tour of the factory, showing the different stages of the cashew processing from sizing and boiling, shelling and scooping, to drying and peeling and finally grading and packaging.
Olajiga said: “Through domestic processing of raw cashew nuts, we have created more than 400 direct jobs and several thousand indirect jobs for farmers, vendors, suppliers and artisans, who form the heartbeat of FoodPro’s value chain. With 90 per cent of FoodPro’s employees being women, we are humbled by the role we play in impacting communities and improving economic and social development conditions in our host community.”
Source: newtelegraphonline.com