Gusau — Construction work began at the site of the N17billion integrated steel project being executed by the Zamfara State Government and its Chinese partners.

The first phase of the project, which entails the construction of mineral processing centre, has already commenced at a site near Gusau, the state capital.

Conducting journalists round the site, the Project Manager, Mr. Deng Bowen, disclosed that the steel plant was capable of processing 300,000 tonnes of iron and steel for local consumption and export.

He said the project would provide at least 2,000 direct employment opportunities when completed.

According to him, the processing centre will cost N4 billion while the main smelting factory will cost N13 billion.

Bowen stated that the Chinese partner was optimistic of the project fortunes because of the large deposit of copper, tin, gold, iron ore, columbite, tantatile and wolfromite in the state.

He said that China and some countries in Europe had already shown interest in the product.

The manager gave the assurance that the first phase of the project would be completed this year while the second phase would commence in January 2010.

It will be recalled that the Zamfara State Government last year signed a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese firm, Sinostar International Nig. Ltd., to co-finance the project under its public-private partnership programme.

Meanwhile, the state government has said that President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua will perform the foundation stone-laying of the project this month. The Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Danmaliki said that the state government would commit everything within its reach to actualise the project. "This is because of its strategic importance to the revenue derive of the state," Danmaliki said. He said that the project was in line with the administrationís attempt to shift its reliance from federal statutory allocations to solid minerals and agriculture.