Location Analysis for a New Agro-Processing Industrial Park in Nasarawa State

This study conducts a location analysis for a proposed agro-processing industrial park in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria, applying multi-criteria decision analysis to evaluate and rank candidate sites. Industrial park location decisions have long-run consequences for operational logistics costs, labour availability, utility access, and community relations, making rigorous site selection a priority for both government and private investors. This research employs the Weighted Factor Rating Method to compare four candidate locations across eight decision criteria: proximity to agricultural raw material supply, road and rail connectivity, availability of potable water, land acquisition cost, skilled labour access, electricity grid capacity, community acceptance, and environmental risk profile. Criteria weights were determined through expert elicitation involving five industrial engineers and two representatives from Nasarawa State Investment and Development Agency. Field visits were conducted to each candidate site to collect primary data on utility infrastructure and land conditions. Results rank Site C, located near the Lafia-Keffi expressway corridor, as the optimal location based on the weighted factor score analysis. Sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of this ranking across plausible weight variations. This research provides a transparent and reproducible location selection framework for future agro-industrial development planning in North Central Nigeria. Keywords: location analysis, industrial park, Weighted Factor Rating, Nasarawa State, agro-processing