Benue Investment Promotion Agency

13/07/2026

09/07/2026

As the Food Basket of the Nation, Benue has fed Nigeria for decades.

The next task is to industrialise that advantage and make Benue a leading agro-industrial hub in Africa.

This was the focus of ’s engagement when the Executive Secretary, Dr Terhemen Johnpaul Kpenkaan, led a delegation to the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), where discussions centred on how Benue State can convert its agricultural and mineral resources into value-added products, bankable enterprises, stronger SMEs and sustainable jobs.

The conversation comes at a critical moment.

With the US$250 million private-sector investment in the National Food City Complex already progressing, with ongoing work on the access road, Benue now has a major agro-industrial anchor around which processing, aggregation, logistics, SME participation, and complementary investments can be developed.

For BENIPA, this is the strategic link.

RMRDC brings technical expertise in raw-materials research, technology adaptation, product development, quality assurance and commercialisation.

While BENIPA brings the State’s investment-promotion and facilitation mandate: project packaging, investor mobilisation, PPP structuring, inter-agency coordination, finance linkages and investor aftercare.

Together, this partnership can help move Benue from raw commodity supply to resource-based industrialisation.

The engagement identified priority areas for collaboration, beginning with:

1️⃣ fruit, citrus and vegetable processing to reduce post-harvest losses.
2️⃣ soybean processing and value-added protein products;
3️⃣ cassava processing and industrial starch development;

Other pipeline opportunities include apiculture and honey value addition, sesame and cashew processing, and the responsible technical validation of selected industrial minerals.

With the establishment of a BENIPA–RMRDC Joint Technical Working Group underway, the next steps include a joint technical mission to Benue State and the preparation of investor-ready project briefs for selected priority value chains.

For the Benue State Government, the goal is clear: to move from being known only as a producer of raw materials to becoming a competitive hub for value addition, SME industrialisation, import substitution and non-oil exports.

Under the leadership of His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Benue State is demonstrating readiness as an investor-ready destination for agro-industrialisation, SME growth and value-added manufacturing.

BENIPA remains committed to turning Benue’s resource advantage into bankable opportunities that attract the right capital for sustainable economic transformation.

08/07/2026

03/07/2026

From Displacement to Economic Recovery: Benue Advances Practical Solutions for Resilience

Benue State is taking deliberate steps to address the challenges of mobility displacement through economic recovery, job creation, enterprise development and stronger partnerships.

At the IOM–UN Migration Donor Coordination and Partnership Breakfast, convened in partnership with the Governments of Benue and Adamawa States, the Benue delegation engaged ambassadors, UN agencies, donors, development partners and investors on practical solutions that can improve livelihoods for displaced persons and host communities.

The delegation was led by the Secretary to the State Government, Deaconess Serumun Deborah Aber, alongside the Director-General of the Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, Mr -Angelo Usha Viashima, and the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Benue Investment Promotion Agency, Dr Terhemen Johnpaul Kpenkaan.

During the technical session, Dr Kpenkaan presented Benue State’s Economic Recovery and Value Chain Development Strategy. He highlighted the reforms being pursued by the State Government to create a more enabling environment for investment, enterprise growth and job creation.

He also emphasised the importance of ensuring that Internally Displaced Persons and host communities are included in employment and business opportunities created through private-sector investments.

Some of the practical opportunities identified include:

1️⃣ Solar-powered cold rooms and produce aggregation centres
2️⃣ Tomato, pepper and mango drying and processing businesses
3️⃣ Digital platforms that connect farmers to buyers, transporters, financiers and input suppliers
4️⃣ Agri-logistics and produce delivery services
5️⃣ Solar irrigation cooperatives
6️⃣ Start-up incubation and finance support for small agribusinesses

These opportunities can help reduce post-harvest losses, improve farmers’ incomes, create jobs for young people and women, and build stronger local economies in communities affected by displacement.

Benue State Government, under the leadership of Governor Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, is showing that recovery must go beyond relief support. It must also create pathways for dignity, self-reliance, food security and sustainable prosperity.

BENIPA remains committed to working with BICD, IOM, development partners, investors and financial institutions to translate these opportunities into real businesses, real jobs and lasting impact for the people of Benue State.

19/06/2026

BENIPA Showcases Benue’s Investment and Tourism Opportunities at National Roundtable

Benue is widely known as the Food Basket of the Nation, but our State also has strong potential to become a major destination for tourism, hospitality, culture, leisure and conferences.

The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Benue Investment Promotion Agency (BENIPA), Dr Terhemen Johnpaul Kpenkaan, participated in the Nigeria Sub-National Investment and Tourism Information Roundtable, held as part of the launch of the National Compendium, “Nigeria: Documenting the Economic and Tourism Profiles of 36 States and the FCT.”

The event featured His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima Mustapha, GCON, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as Special Guest of Honour, and brought together investors, development partners, chambers of commerce, diplomatic communities and State representatives.

At the roundtable, BENIPA presented Benue State’s investment opportunities in agriculture, agro-processing, infrastructure, tourism, industrial development and public-private partnerships.

In the tourism sector, three major opportunities were highlighted:

1️⃣ Ikyogen Hills Eco-Tourism and Ranch Redevelopment: An opportunity to develop eco-resorts, wellness retreats, adventure tourism, cultural experiences and nature-based recreation.

2️⃣ Riverfront and Leisure Tourism along the River Benue: An opportunity to develop waterfront leisure facilities, restaurants, parks, boat cruises, event spaces and family recreation areas that can make Makurdi a stronger riverfront destination.

3️⃣ Hospitality and Conference Tourism: The revitalisation of the 400-bed 5-star Sheraton Hotel in Makurdi can strengthen Benue’s capacity to host conferences, business meetings, government retreats, investment missions and regional events.

These opportunities can create jobs and support businesses in hospitality, transport, food services, entertainment, crafts, event management, tourism operations and youth-led enterprises.

BENIPA remains committed to working with investors, partners and relevant government institutions to move Benue’s opportunities from potential to bankable projects through investment facilitation, project packaging, PPP structuring, regulatory support and investor aftercare.

This is in line with the vision of His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Executive Governor of Benue State, to reposition Benue as a competitive destination for investment, enterprise growth and inclusive development.

Benue has the assets. BENIPA is helping structure them into investable opportunities.

Benue is investor-ready.

12/06/2026

02/06/2026

Can Nigeria become a trillion-dollar economy without investment-ready states?

In Voices for Change Vol. 1, Dr. Terhemen Johnpaul Kpenkaan , the Executive Secretary, Benue Investment Promotion Agency (BENIPA), the Chairman, Forum of State Investment Promotion Agencies of Nigeria (FoSIPAN) where he shares why the future of Nigeria's economy will be determined less by ambition and more by the ability of states to prepare projects, attract investment, and deliver results.

A timely conversation on governance, ex*****on, and the reforms needed to unlock sustainable growth.

Read the full interview below

Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/peacemediang/p/voices-for-change-vol-1-nigerias

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/voices-change-vol-1-nigerias-trillion-dollar-future-decided-t92of