Kwara to open 50-ton shea butter plant, ICT hub as more flagship projects near completion

Kwara State Government says it is closing in on the delivery of several flagship projects spread across the three senatorial districts as part of a broad strategy to deepen enterprise, promote innovation and strengthen the state’s business climate.

Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology, Hon. Damilola Yusuf Adelodun, made this known yesterday at the 2025 Q3 Inter-Ministerial Press Briefing organised by the Ministry of Communications and held at the Ministry of Finance conference room in Ilorin.

Adelodun said the Ministry has executed and is managing eleven landmark projects that are deliberately structured to fast-track industrialisation, stimulate sustainable economic growth and scale up innovation capacity in the state.

She listed among the achievements the Ilorin Innovation Hub — described as the country’s largest — offering co-working spaces, mentorship and innovation programmes to startups and tech founders. She added that the Kwara Garment Factory ranks among Nigeria’s biggest and has created hundreds of direct and indirect jobs.

According to her, the Sugar Film Factory has put Kwara on the national film map and is currently shooting its debut television series “Ajuwaya” to expand youth participation in the creative economy.

The Commissioner further disclosed that the Ministry, working with Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, has pioneered Nigeria’s first gas-to-electric vehicle conversion initiative — a move she said demonstrates Kwara’s leadership in green technology.

She revealed that the Kwara Government Coding and Digital Literacy Programme (Holiday Edition) has trained over 5,500 students from 50 public schools across the 16 local government areas, saying the initiative is a deliberate investment in building a youth-driven digital economy.

On infrastructure, Adelodun announced that the Ilorin International Conference Centre (IICC) is 47.03 per cent completed and is billed for commissioning in the first quarter of 2026, while the remodelling of Kwara Hotel has reached 71 per cent and is also slated for delivery in the same period.

The Commissioner said the 50-ton Shea Butter Factory in Kaiama has entered equipment testing stage and will be opened soon to boost exports and empower rural producers. She added that work on the Patigi Regatta Motel stands at 80 per cent and will be ready before December 2025.

She also highlighted progress on the Daada Pottery Facility in Ilorin South, designed to preserve cultural heritage and promote local craftsmanship, and confirmed that the ICT Hub in Shonga, Kwara North, has been fully built and is at the equipment installation and electrical stage.

Adelodun noted that the Ministry has taken Kwara’s investment portfolio to key trade and business forums — including the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Trade Fair — supported MSMEs through subsidised registration at the Kwara Vile Vendors (KVV) Trade Fair and linked local businesses with investors and foreign partners at B2B summits.

She reaffirmed that the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration will continue to deploy infrastructure, policy support and market access to build a resilient, innovation-led and globally competitive Kwara economy.