Kogi officials hold groundbreaking for planned cargo airport

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo and Kogi Gov. Ahmed Usman Ododo held a groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 10 for the state’s planned international cargo airport in Zariagi, presenting it as a project to improve trade and attract investment.

Keyamo represented President Bola Tinubu at the ceremony in Adavi Local Government Area, according to officials. The planned airport is expected to support the movement of agricultural produce and mineral resources to domestic and international markets, Ododo said. State and federal officials also identified logistics, tourism, commerce, manufacturing and hospitality as sectors that could benefit.

Kogi officials forecast the airport could generate 2,000 to 3,000 direct and indirect jobs. That figure is a projection; no employment outcome was reported. Officials have also described the project as a way to diversify the state’s economy and improve connectivity.

The first-phase plan includes a 3,600-metre runway, taxiways, an aircraft parking apron, drainage, perimeter fencing and access roads, Commissioner for Works Momoh Salami Ozigi said. The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation said the runway is planned to be 60 metres wide and...