Dr
Muideen Akorede, the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Communication to the
Governor, said this on Sunday in a statement made available to the News Agency
of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin.
The
statement said Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed concluded the investment deal during his
current investment trip to East China.
It
also said the agreement for the establishment of Kwara Chitex Industrial Park
was signed by Ahmed and Mr Shi Zengchao, the Managing Director of Ningbo
Jinsheng Star Import and Export Co Ltd.
The
statement said the event took place at the 18th China Zheijand Investment and
Trade Symposium held in Ningbo, East China.
It
said the initiative involved $3.7 billion worth of investments in 31 projects
out of which $1.4billion was for outbound investments.
Kwara
Chitex Industrial Park, it said, was the only one Nigeria- bound.
The
statement quoted the governor as expressing delight over the multimillion
dollar project which was expected to commence soon.
The
park, according to the governor, would create 3,000 jobs for the people of the
state.
"We
are looking for investors, especially in the area of manufacturing.
We
have a very youthful population which shows there is a strong workforce that
can support industrialisation.
"There
are opportunities in textiles, agriculture, mining and other areas, the
potentials are huge,'' the statement quoted Ahmed as saying.
It
also quoted Ahmed's Chief Economic Assistant, Mr Abayomi Ogunsola, as saying
government would provide about N1billion in counterpart funding and 400
hectares of land as well as infrastructure support.
The
statement also said the governor held preliminary talks with potential
investors in agribusiness and agro allied industries during the visit to China.
Ahmed,
it said, offered prospective investors incentives such as tax relief and
accelerated land acquisition process.