NEPZA Restates Support for Ogun Communities, Highlights 14-Year School Project
The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the welfare of communities hosting the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa, Ogun State, through projects spanning education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture and youth empowerment. The authority’s Administrative Manager, Steven Makanjuola, disclosed this during a press briefing at the zone on Wednesday, stressing that industrial growth must go hand in hand with meaningful community development. He said the free trade zone, established to attract investment and strengthen economic cooperation between Nigeria and China, was also creating employment, developing local skills and expanding economic opportunities. Makanjuola highlighted the China-Nigeria Friendship School in Igbesa, which the zone has supported for more than 14 years and which currently serves over 700 pupils. He also cited an inter-school knowledge competition that has benefited more than 10,000 students across host communities. According to him, the zone has provided public schools with educational materials, sports equipment, musical instruments, stationery and other supplies, alongside cash awards to encourage academic performance. He added that the initiative was designed to support learning and improve opportunities for children in surrounding communities.
Beyond education, Makanjuola said the zone had constructed a modern hospital block, donated medical supplies and organised health outreaches to improve access to healthcare. He also identified road projects, including the Oba Adesola Market Road, as important interventions that have improved access to commercial activities in Igbesa. The roads are estimated to benefit more than 350,000 people, while a solar-powered community water facility provides water access to over 5,000 residents. He further disclosed that annual empowerment programmes had supported hundreds of young people with grants and business starter kits to establish or expand their businesses. The zone’s Public Relations Manager, Tope Anthony, said the initiatives complemented its wider mandate of attracting investment, promoting industrialisation and generating employment. Both officials stressed that community development required sustained engagement with residents, traditional institutions, community leaders and government agencies to identify emerging needs. Makanjuola assured host communities that the zone would continue pursuing interventions aimed at improving livelihoods while strengthening industrial development and economic cooperation between Nigeria and China.
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