Rivers Set to Privatise 13 Farms, 8 Rest Houses

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By Joel Anekwe

The Rivers State Government has invited reputable and experienced players in the hospitality and agricultural sectors for Expression of Interest to run 13 government-owned farms and 8 catering rest houses in the state, as part of strategies to boost agriculture and create job opportunities for the teeming unemployed in the state.

The 13 farms slated for concessioning include Songhai Farms, Atali Farm, Elimgbu Livestock Farm, School to Land Farm, Kpaa, School to Land Farm, Nonwa and School to Land Farm, Agbeta.

Other farms are Rumuewhor Farm, Rumuodomaya Feed Mill, Rivers State Institute for Agricultural Research and Training, Onne, Buguma Fish Farm, Andoni Fish Farm, Opobo Fish Farm and Ubima Fish Farm.

Executive Director of the Rivers State Bureau for Public-Private Partnership (PPP), Ibrahim Eddy Mark, in a statement stressed that the projects are not for award of contract, but for concessioning on a public-private partnership basis.

The executive director also named the government-owned catering rest houses as those in Ahoada, Elele, Okehi, Degema and Omoku. Others are Catering Rest House, Isiokpo; Catering Rest House, Bori and Catering Rest House, Eleme.

He explained that the concession is “a type of public-private partnership venture where the private sector operator (concessionaire) is responsible for the full delivery of services in a specified area, including construction, operation, maintenance, collection, management and rehabilitation of the system”.

He added; “A concession also gives a private concessionaire responsibility for financing and management of all required investments”, adding that the concessionaire bears the cost and risk for the condition of the assets and investment.

He said that as part of the project scope the concessionaire would, in return, meet agreed environment, social, economic, financial, development, operational and service obligations to the people and government of Rivers State, and that at the end of the concession period, the property reverts to the Rivers State Government.