By Queen Kunde
The Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) has received the first shipment of equipment for the much-anticipated Food Basket Brewery, with 16 out of 50 containers arriving from China.
The groundbreaking brewery project, located in Akile along the Makurdi–Gboko Road, is part of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia’s industrialization push, following his recent investment drive to the People’s Republic of China.
BIPC’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha, CFA, received the equipment at the company’s corporate headquarters before leading a team of top executives to inspect the brewery site.
“This is just the beginning,” Dr. Asemakaha said. “These 16 containers mark the first batch of 50 expected. Chinese engineers are already en route to Nigeria to commence installation, and we’re targeting production by the end of October 2025.”
Designed to produce 10,000 crates daily, the brewery is poised to capture a significant share of Benue State’s ?1 billion monthly beer market, while also creating hundreds of new jobs. The first phase is expected to generate 200 direct jobs, with another 200 in the second phase and over 1,000 indirect employment opportunities in related sectors.
Company Secretary, Josephat Ioryoosu, Esq., praised Governor Alia’s vision and BIPC’s leadership, calling the brewery a “strategic step toward stabilizing Benue’s economy and empowering its youth.”
Also speaking, BIPC’s Head of Business Development and Strategy, Theresa Abeda, lauded the Governor for enabling BIPC to play a key role in the state’s industrial revolution. “We are fully prepared to reposition Benue’s economy through impactful, home-grown investments,” she added.
With the first shipment now in, anticipation is high for the official launch of what is expected to become one of the region’s largest and most profitable agro-industrial ventures.
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