All is set for the smooth take-off of the planned Benin Industrial Park with the receipt of the Preliminary Report by Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki from the Mahindra Group in India on Monday.

A visibly elated Obaseki, who is accompanied by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment, Hon. Emmanuel Usoh, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kadiri Bashiru, on the investment drive in Asia, said the Industrial park would serve as the catalyst for the industrialisation of the state.

Receiving the Preliminary Report of the Industrial Park from officials of Mahindra Group, at their headquarters in Chennai, India, Obaseki expressed confidence in the capacity of the company to deliver the project in line with the vision of the state government.

The Governor said he “was impressed with the Preliminary Report by the Mahindra Group, which outlines the sequence of the project implementation, after their visit to Benin City for a thorough assessment of the economic viability of developing an industrial park in Edo State.”

He explained that the project was well thought out, as it would maximise the location of Benin City, from where all parts of the country can be accessed, coupled with the abundance of natural gas, the low cost of production, access to water and availability of affordable labour.

He assured that his administration was committed to leveraging on the gains of technology to boost economic activities by replicating in Nigeria, a Silicon Valley.

“We visited the headquarters of the Indian company in March, this year, to share our idea of an Industrial Park with officials of the company. Three months later, the company came to Benin City for a feasibility study and today we are happy that we are ready to hit the ground running” Obaseki said.

•Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State (2nd right); Emmanuel Usoh, Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment (3rd right); Kadiri Bashiru, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Edo State (1st right); receiving the Preliminary Report on the Benin Industrial Park from Narayanan M.C., Chief Operating Officer, Mahindra Consulting (3rd left); Pradeep D.P., Mahindra Principal Engineer (1st Left) at Mahindra Headquarters in Chennai, India on Monday, September 11, 2017.