Long before diplomats, investors and Chinese delegates gathered in Abuja this week, the name Ajaokuta had lived in Nigeria’s national consciousness as both a promise and a paradox, an industrial dream suspended in time, but on this day, as the hall filled with quiet anticipation, Kogi State attempted something rare: to turn a place associated with unrealised potential into the centrepiece of a bold new global economic vision.
The unveiling of the Ajaokuta Economic City, a modern free trade zone projected to draw between $2 billion and $5 billion in foreign direct investment, marked a dramatic shift in how the state intends to define its future. For Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, who presided over the ceremony, the launch was not merely bureaucratic; it was a declaration that Kogi is ready to re-enter the economic architecture of West Africa with renewed ambition and international partnerships to match.
The event, attended by senior government officials, private-sector leaders and a high-level delegation from the Zhuzhou Municipal Government of Hunan Province, announced the operational takeoff of what is officially known as the Kogi–Hunan Free Trade Zone. It is a project forged through months of technical evaluations and negotiations, tying the aspirations of a Nigerian state to the industrial expertise of one of China’s most dynamic manufacturing regions. Stakeholders described it as the most audacious industrialisation effort in Kogi’s history.
Ajaokuta’s positioning has always been its quiet strength. Located near the River Niger, linked by rail to the ports of the south and connected by highways that slice through Nigeria’s major commercial corridors, the region is naturally primed for trade. Its rich deposits of iron ore and coal, long overshadowed by the stalled steel complex, now form part of a broader vision, one that sees Ajaokuta not as a relic, but as a launchpad.
The new economic city aims to stitch together manufacturing hubs, logistics centres, agro-processing plants, tech spaces and energy infrastructure into a single, globally competitive industrial ecosystem. It mirrors the template of successful free trade zones in Asia and North Africa, but with a distinctly Nigerian context: harnessing strategic geography, mineral wealth and a young workforce to drive growth.
Yet none of this, Governor Ododo admits, can take shape without security. He revealed that Kogi has developed a dedicated security architecture for the Economic City, complete with enhanced intelligence operations, surveillance systems and collaboration with national agencies. “Investment only thrives in secure environments,” he said, assuring investors that Kogi intends to protect life, capital and infrastructure with equal intensity.
His message was echoed by Kogi’s Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiwaju Asiru Idris, who urged investors to seize what he described as a once-in-a-generation opportunity and with characteristic candour, he asked: “If Dangote, Mangal and others are in Kogi, why are you not yet in Kogi?” His challenge underscored a crucial point that major players are already betting big on the state.
For Nigeria, the stakes extend well beyond Kogi’s borders. A fully realised Ajaokuta Economic City could expand non-oil exports, deepen industrial capacity, strengthen participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and inject fresh confidence into the country’s FDI landscape. Tens of thousands of jobs could emerge from the city’s multi-sector layout, reshaping livelihoods across the Middle Belt and beyond.
Nevertheless, the path ahead remains complex. Power supply, infrastructure funding, regulatory stability and long-term investor confidence will all determine whether the project fulfils its lofty projections. Ajaokuta’s reopening chapter feels different, powered by international collaboration and a clearer economic blueprint.
Still, the transformation of a symbol takes time. On this day, however, Kogi State succeeded in something important: it reimagined Ajaokuta not as a monument to deferred industrialization, but as a living possibility, one that could yet redefine Nigeria’s position in global commerce.
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