Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) welcomed His Excellency Kashim Shettima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on Friday, 24th July 2026, as part of his official visit to Benin aimed at strengthening economic and industrial cooperation between the two countries.
Representing His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Vice President was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising, among others, the Governors of Kwara, Imo, Jigawa, Plateau, Katsina and Zamfara States, the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, as well as several senior officials from the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Upon arrival at GDIZ, the delegation was welcomed by Mr Faki Adje, Deputy Managing Director of SIPI-BENIN S.A., alongside Mr Eric Akouté, Managing Director of APIEx, in the presence of Mr Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, Minister of Tourism and Foreign Trade, responsible for African Integration, Industry and the Promotion of Private Investment.
During the visit, the Nigerian delegation toured several production facilities operating within GDIZ, where it discovered an integrated industrial ecosystem dedicated to the local processing of raw materials, value addition, skills development, and manufacturing for both domestic and international markets.
Nigeria looks to the GDIZ model
At the conclusion of the visit, Nigeria’s Vice President expressed his admiration for the integrated value chains developed around the cotton, cashew and soybean sectors. “We are truly impressed and would like to commend the Government for its unwavering commitment to industrialisation,” he said.
He explained that the purpose of the visit was to draw inspiration from GDIZ model to support the development of industrial zones in Nigeria. “We are currently developing eight agro-industrial zones as part of the first phase of our program in Nigeria. We will draw on Benin’s experience and replicate this model in Nigeria,” he concluded.
The visit carries strategic significance for Nigeria, which intends to leverage the best practices developed at GDIZ in agro-processing, industrialisation and investment promotion.
It also reflects the renewed momentum driven by the Beninese and Nigerian authorities to deepen bilateral cooperation, following recent discussions between His Excellency Romuald Wadagni, President of the Republic of Benin, and His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening economic and trade relations between the two countries.
