Sub-Saharan Africa
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Nigeria's Ogun State to Establish West Africa's Largest Cotton Industry, Projecting 40,000 Jobs

Before oil, cotton was a top Nigerian export, contributing up to 25% of GDP in 1980. According to the International Cotton Advisory Committee, Nigeria currently ranks 25th globally out of 53 cotton-producing countries.
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Nigeria's Ogun State is to establish West Africa's largest cotton and apparel industry in the state, expecting to create 40,000 jobs, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun said.
The production is expected to commence soon at the state's Special Processing Zone, Abiodun noted. He emphasized the strategic co-location of this zone with the Ogun State Agro-cargo Airport, creating an "aerotropolis" designed for ease of doing business, including Nigeria's largest customs facilities.
Abiodun explained that his administration's economic blueprint centers on a conducive business environment through Public-Private Partnerships and the "ISEYA" mantra: Infrastructure, Social Welfare, Education, Youth Employment, and Agriculture. This vision is pursued through road construction, housing, healthcare, education, and youth empowerment, he noted.
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The governor highlighted road improvements along the Sagamu-Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode-Epe, and Agbara-Lusada-Atan routes, which are aimed at improving accessibility for investors and residents. Noting the state's rich mineral resources and its status as one of six approved for a Special Processing Zone, Abiodun assured that Ogun State would become a national reference point.