Development of a Performance Measurement Framework for Nigerian Agro-Industrial Parks

This research develops a performance measurement framework for agro-industrial parks in Nigeria, addressing the absence of a systematic, sector-specific evaluation tool for these strategically important economic infrastructure investments. Nigeria's federal and state governments have committed substantial public resources to the development of agro-industrial parks as part of agricultural transformation and economic diversification strategies, yet monitoring and evaluation of park performance has been conducted without standardised frameworks, limiting accountability and learning across the programme. The framework development process follows a structured methodology encompassing literature review, stakeholder consultation, framework design, and expert validation. Dimensions covered include economic performance, infrastructure and service quality, environmental sustainability, social and community impact, governance and management effectiveness, and park ecosystem development. A composite performance score methodology is developed, incorporating data from standardised park-level surveys, environmental monitoring records, and government statistical sources. The framework is piloted at four operational agro-industrial parks in Ogun, Kaduna, Benue, and Kebbi states, demonstrating discriminant validity across performance dimensions and sensitivity to genuine performance differences between parks. Recommendations advocate for adoption of the framework by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council as the standard monitoring tool for its agro-industrial park programme. Keywords: performance measurement, agro-industrial parks, framework development, Delphi method, Nigeria