The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has commenced work on a 200-hectare integrated agricultural project in Nomeh Unataeze, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, with the facility projected to create more than 1,000 direct jobs when fully operational.
The project, developed under SEDC’s South East Agro-Development Programme in partnership with the Enugu State Government, is designed to combine agricultural production with mechanisation, processing, skills development and market access.
The integrated farm will feature dairy farming, poultry, fisheries, greenhouse cultivation, fodder and silage production, agro-processing, renewable energy and agricultural training. Plans include a 200-head dairy herd and poultry production of up to 20,000 birds per cycle.
SEDC Managing Director and CEO Mark Okoye said the project aims to demonstrate how agriculture can move from fragmented production to a coordinated system linking land, technology, mechanisation, production, processing, training and markets.
A major component is the project’s training and out-grower programme. The training centre will accommodate between 100 and 120 trainees, while about 300 households within a 10-kilometre radius are expected to participate initially as out-growers.
Participating farmers are expected to receive access to inputs, technical support, mechanisation, improved breeding services and markets. The programme will cover dairy, poultry, fisheries and fodder production.
SEDC estimates that the facility will generate more than 1,000 direct jobs at full maturity, with additional employment expected through seasonal farming, processing and the wider network of participating farmers.
The Commission said Nomeh will serve as a pilot for similar agricultural projects across the five South East states—Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. Lessons from the project will be used to refine and replicate the model in other locations.
The initiative is part of broader government efforts to increase domestic food production, create jobs, strengthen agricultural value chains and promote regional economic development.