The Japanese Government, in partnership with the Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO), has inaugurated a pineapple juice processing factory in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The inauguration is part of a strategic effort to drive agricultural value addition, reduce post-harvest losses, and boost rural livelihoods.
The factory, located in the Ukpenu-Emuhi community, was executed under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project, further strengthening development cooperation between Japan and Nigeria.
Speaking virtually at the inauguration ceremony on Friday, Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo, described the project as ‘a symbol of shared commitment to human security and inclusive economic growth’.
Suzuki said the facility marked ‘a decisive shift from the export of raw agricultural produce to local processing’, noting that it would significantly reduce post-harvest losses while stimulating the rural economy.
He explained that the factory would serve as a ready market for at least 500 pineapple farmers, enabling increased production, improved productivity, and better household incomes.
‘The factory will also benefit an estimated 2,000 farm labourers, as well as more than 2,000 wholesalers and retailers, through expanded economic activities along the value chain’, Suzuki added.
The ambassador further noted that Ekpoma’s growing population, supported by institutions such as Ambrose Alli University, provided a sustainable market for the factory’s output.
He stressed that the facility would function as a training and research centre, offering industrial exposure to over 1,000 students.
Inaugurating the project, Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, said the Japan-funded, LAPO-executed factory aligned with the state’s agricultural industrialisation and economic diversification agenda.
Okpebholo, represented at the event by the Commissioner for Transport, Saturday Idehen, said the project would ‘generate jobs, empower youths and women, and expand Edo State’s agro-industrial footprint under the SHINE Agenda’.
He urged farmers to take advantage of the facility by increasing production and adopting improved farming techniques, assuring them of sustained government support.
In her address, LAPO President, Faith Negbe Osazuwa-Ojo, said the initiative was conceived to address years of pineapple wastage caused by the absence of processing facilities in the area.
She explained that ‘Japan’s support transformed the challenge into a sustainable enterprise capable of promoting food security, decent work and community development’.
Osazuwa-Ojo added that the factory would be community-owned, a model designed ‘to ensure sustainability through local management and reinvestment of profits’.
The LAPO President, represented at the ceremony by Executive Vice President, Health and Social Development, Dr Honestus Ayo Obadiora, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to capacity building, environmental sustainability, and inclusive participation, particularly for women and youths.
