Gov Alia inspects Food Basket Brewery, approves training of 12 Benue youths in China

Gov Alia inspects Food Basket Brewery, approves training of 12 Benue youths in China

By Benedicta Aboh

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has reaffirmed his administration’s drive toward industrialization with an inspection of ongoing construction at the Food Basket Brewery located in Akile, along the Makurdi-Gboko Road.

The Governor was accompanied on the tour by the Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Investment, Hon. Alumo Orpin; the Group Managing Director of the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), Dr. Raymond Asemakaha; and other senior management staff of the company.

They were conducted around key installations by the brewery’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Adoje.

During the visit, Dr. Asemakaha introduced the Governor to Chinese expatriates handling the installation of the EBI production machines, critical components of the brewery plant.

He, however, raised concerns over the shortage of relevant technical skills among Benue youths, noting that reliance on foreign experts has become financially draining. One expatriate, he revealed, had earned $250 per day for 92 days, excluding feeding and accommodation.

Responding to the concern, Governor Alia directed BIPC to immediately select 12 young people from the state’s three geopolitical zones for a six-week advanced training program in China. The training, to be done in four batches, is expected to build local capacity in the operation and maintenance of the brewery’s machinery, reducing long-term dependence on foreign contractors.

Addressing excited residents who gathered to welcome him, the Governor urged the community to safeguard the brewery as a collective asset.

He described the project, along with the ongoing roads, underpasses and other infrastructural works, as “a tip of the iceberg,” assuring that his administration’s full industrial transformation agenda will be evident by 2027.

Governor Alia also encouraged residents to participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise to ensure they are eligible for upcoming elections.

According to BIPC, the Food Basket Brewery is one of the flagship industrial projects of the Alia administration and is being executed as part of a broader plan to boost industrialization and revive Benue’s economy.