The Benue State Government (BNSG) on Friday, 9th May, 2015, signed a historic Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with Rexzodeneh Group Limited (RGL) to establish a multi-sectoral National Food City Complex in Otukpo Local Government Area, Benue State.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was entered between the parties on 8th April 2025. The Friday signing of papers marked the first formal PPP agreement in the State’s 49-year history and a major milestone under the administration of Fr. Hyacinth Alia, Executive Secretary, Benue Investment Promotion Agency (BENIPA), Mr. Terhemen Kpenkaan told TNT.
Mr. Kpenkaan, who coordinated the investment process, highlighted the rigorous steps taken by the government to ensure project credibility and viability.
“Following the MoU signed in April, we activated a robust due diligence process involving technical appraisals, regulatory clearances, and financial verification, including confirmation of funding capacity from the participating banks.
“This agreement is a result of that thorough groundwork. It is historic, given that it is the first formal PPP agreement in the 49-year existence of Benue as a state; and it sets a new benchmark for credible, investor-ready engagements as a hallmark of the Governor Alia-led administration,” Mr. Kpenkaan said.
Commenting on the historic agreement, Engr. Femi Apata, Group Managing Director of RGL, expressed appreciation to the Governor and stakeholders for their support and pledged that tangible progress would be seen within 90 days from the date of the agreement.
“This project has been in development for three years. We now have the platform to deliver meaningful impact across agriculture, energy, and job creation in Benue,” he noted.
The National Food City Project is designed as an integrated agri-industrial hub and involves the cultivation of over 30,000 hectares of mechanised farmland, the establishment of agro-processing facilities for crops such as rice, cassava, maize, and soybeans, and the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure with a generation capacity of up to 25 megawatts to power operations on-site.
Complementary infrastructure for the project, including staff housing, clinics, internal roads, and warehouse facilities, are intended to ensure the sustainability and long-term impact of the development.
The project is designed to be delivered under a Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT) framework, with the Benue State Government providing land and critical infrastructure, while RGL will finance, build, and manage the facility for 25 years before transferring ownership to the state.
