The Managing Director of the Benin Enterprise Park, Mr. Ikponmwonsa Edward Osayande, has said the state government is committed to providing access to gas, electricity, security and other amenities to anchor tenants at the park. Osayande, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists in Benin City, said the park is located in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of the State and spans across five communities.
He stated that the total area of the park spans 997.71 hectares of land and is conceived as a multiple business enclave to fast-track the development and growth of the State’s economy. Osayande said, “The mandate is to build an industrial park designed to boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the State, provide opportunities for training and employment, and enable efficient, effective, responsive and innovative utilisation of the natural and geographic endowments of Edo State.
“The location of the park is equidistant from all over the State, including Delta State, thus taking advantage of our geographical location for intra and interstate commerce.” According to him, “As a government, we have now decided to provide the horizontal infrastructure such that businesses will now come in and set up. We are committed to providing access to electricity, water, security and gas. With that, we can have a situation where we now bring in small to medium-scale businesses.
They can come in and take parcels of land. That part of the policy is being developed.” Noting that the park is ready to receive investors, he said: “The idea is to get them in as quickly as possible. We have two major anchor tenants coming in already that we’re working with right now. So, we’re trying to get it from greenfield to brownfield as quickly as possible.”
The Managing Director added, “They are the ones that will sell Edo State once they come in after they have gone through the experience of trying to set up. So, when they come in, they will be the ones to do the marketing because they want everybody to know that this is where we are located now, in conjunction with the State.”
