From Maduabuchi Nmeribeh, Kano
As part of his determination to bring back the commercial cum industrial lost glory of Kano, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, at the weekend, commissioned a multi-billion Naira carton-making factory in Kano, with a resolve to create enabling environment for local and Foreign Direct Invest, (FDII) to flourish in the state.
The new factory, Top Pan Nigeria Ltd. is a multi-billion Naira carton making factory owned by Lee Group of Companies, located at Tokarawa, in the outskirts of the state capital.
This is also coming shortly after the state government donated an expanse of land to the Lee Group, at Bagadawa, Dawakin Tofa local government area, to enable it set up an industrial park, which aims to turn the state’s economy around.
According to Ganduje, “as one of Nigeria’s foremost commercial centers and the most populous state in the country, we as government, have a duty to ensure ease of doing business so that we can move the state to the center of commercial and industrial enterprise in the country.
“When more industries are established, the economy keeps growing, the government gets revenue to address development issues and more of our youth get jobs to do.”
Governor Ganduje, therefore, described the establishment of Top Pan Nigeria Ltd. in Kano, as an indication of good economic sense because of its value addition to the local economy, since companies in the state will no longer travel out to acquire packaging for finished goods.
According to him, “more are opening in Kano and they need packaging facility for their products. Top Pan Nigeria Ltd., is therefore, a big leap in the right direction.”
Ganduje, who had earlier on inspected the company’s production lines, was delighted that it has employed majority of its personnel from Kano, enjoining the workers to maintain their dedication so as to keep the company afloat.
In his remarks, the Co-chair, Lee Group, Alhaji Ahmadu Haruna Zago, disclosed that the company was established to provide high quality packaging solutions for the groups’ and other industries’ needs.
“Right now, all our raw materials are obtained from Lagos and as you can see, almost all of our staff are youths from Kano. Our target is to create jobs, through our companies, for at least 50, 000 people,” he added.
Alhaji Ahmadu, who thanked the government for encouraging the Lee Group, through several interventions, however, urged the Ganduje administration to put more effort towards addressing the challenges of water supply facing some companies belonging to his group.
On his part, the Managing Director, Top Pan Nigeria Ltd., Mr. Ahmed Kodami, promised to ensure high quality products for the local market as well as good corporate social responsibility.
