The National Association of Nigerian Traders, NANTS, is currently planning the commissioning of her Modern Small Scale Abattoir, an integrated meat factory located at Giri in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. The project, which has been fully completed and ready for official commissioning and take-off.
President of NANTS, Dr. Ken Ukaoha made this known while stakeholders were inspecting and commending the standard the project in Giri Abuja.
Dr Ukaoha said the project which has the support of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), West African Institute for Trade and Agricultural Development (WAITAD), as well as technical partnership provided by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gwagwalada Area Council, and the FCT Administration is the first of its kind in the country.
The modern abattoir has facilities such as lairage, killing box, evisceration technology, weigh ridge, vertinary office, processing units, 24 hours treated water facility, packaging unit, a 25 tons cold room, cold vans, meat washing house, biodigesters, etc. It also has a training center for building that capacity of butchers and other meat handlers and livestock actors. In addition, the abattoir has a waste conversion technology, which transforms the entire wastes into biogas and liquid fertilizer production. The biogas, in turn, is utilized for the roasting and preparation of animal skin as against the use of motor tires, which have been implicated/associated with cancerous substances.
Other provisions in the facility include a full security house, anadministrativee office a management office, changing rooms for both sexes, resting house for workers, and a store for tools.
Dr Ukaoha further noted that the biogas produced in the facility is also used a a source of energy for powering the entire facility.
Stakeholders at the event confirmed that the facility provides best practices in terms of hygiene and environmental standards in meat handling. Accordingly, the facility presents itself as an investment model for bot the governmentt and the private sector. The job created capacity of the facility, especially for the youth population, is outstanding.
The NANTS President explained that the abattoir has been completed and would be creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs for Nigerians.
He stated that it would also serve as training and research centres for tertiary Institutions within and outside the FCT as well as boost the capacity of butchers in the Territory.
Dr. Ukaoha pointed out that the project would equally fast track the growth of the economy in the FCT as it would serve as a One-Stop-Shop in the area.
While commending the support of all NANTS partners in the project, Dr Ukaoha said the Association would continue to embark on projects that would compliment efforts of the Federal Government in improving the nation’s economy.
With the setijbg up of the abattoir, it is believed that residents of the FCT, including the diplomatic community, would be consuming quality and healthy meat.
