From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
A $5 million electronic and battery recycling plant will soon begin operations in Ogun State.
The recycling plant, which will be established by a British company, Hinckley E-Waste Recycling, will create jobs for the youths of the state, help to rid the environment of electronic waste and enhance knowledge and technology transfer.
Briefing newsmen on the multi-million dollar recycling company facilitated by OGUN INVEST, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the Managing Director of Hinckley Recycling, Adrian Clews, said the company would come to Ogun with the latest technology in electronic waste recycling.
Flanked at the press briefing by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Investment in Ogun State, Adebola Shofela, his Environment Ministry counterpart, Ola Oresanya and the Special Special Adviser/Deputy Director-General OGUN INVEST, Ms Sola Arobieke, Clew added that thousands of jobs would be created for aggregators and others, while the environment will be made safe from the hazards of lead being used in the manufacturing of batteries.
He stressed that the company would continue to partner with the Ogun State government in its efforts to ensure a green environment, job creation, and technology transfer.
Briefing the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, in his office earlier, the British High Commissioner, Richard Montgomery, said that when the company becomes operational, it would be the best in Africa.
“My brief visit to this state is about the deal put together for recycling, which is moving out of Lagos State and establishing a new plant here for recycling e-waste. The Ogun Invest and the Director General, Lands, are working to ensure the deal comes off the line, and I am glad to be here to join the final conversation. I think that will bring new technology and new jobs to the state.
“The battery we will be manufacturing in Ogun State will be the first of its kind in Africa, and we will make the state the leader in battery recycling in Africa.
“For the first time, it is now possible to recycle the cell back into chemical form in Africa and export the black mass, which contains the minerals inside the battery, to make new batteries.
“It is really exciting that we received support from Ogun Invest, and officials from the Bureau of Lands confirmed the Certificate of Occupancy. We can say that the investment will be about five million dollars, and we want Ogun State to be the place where this industry can grow,” the High Commissioner said.
He noted that his country would like to participate in energy, technology, tertiary education, and agricultural processing, and also explore how to find more United Kingdom-linked companies to invest in the state, adding that discussions are ongoing with the state team on how to proceed in the coming year.
Mr Montgomery hinted that their visit to the state was partly to review the progress being made in Ogun as the industrial hub of the nation and how the state has fared in the areas of infrastructure and creating a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
The High Commissioner noted that his country was not only interested in what the state has achieved in the last five years but is also trying to identify business opportunities for his government and his country’s companies to invest in.
He stated that British International Investment, a financial development institution, has invested in one of the major cashew processing and export companies, adding that his country is ready to offer technical assistance to the state’s mass transit system, which is currently being test run.
Responding, Governor Abiodun noted that the state has a large expanse of land suitable for the cultivation of food and cash crops, just as large deposits of limestone and other minerals are found in the state.
He said the state is home to numerous manufacturing companies and has the biggest industrial park as a result of the gas pipelines from the Niger Delta that crisscross the length and breadth of the state.
Abiodun noted that the deliberate provision of road infrastructure and other amenities was to attract more investments to meaningfully impact the lives of the people.
The governor stated that the state is doing well in the area of agriculture as it contributes to food security in the country, while it has also repositioned the education and health sectors of the state.
He added that the establishment of the Ministry of Transportation, the development of the Transportation Master Plan, and the building of a cargo airport were some of his takeaways from participating in a summit in the United Kingdom in 2020.
The governor, who acknowledged the relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, said the state has benefitted from the training of its staff, especially those managing the state transport system.
Governor Abiodun said: “We are open for business. Our administration has made the environment attractive. We have reduced bureaucratic bottlenecks to the barest minimum. We have made land acquisition seamless for investors. We have grown our economy.
“Ogun State is effective and forward-thinking. I want to thank the High Commissioner for the support we have enjoyed from the British Foreign Office.”
