Industrial Location Decision Analysis for a New Manufacturing Zone in Adamawa State

This study applies industrial location decision analysis methodology to evaluate candidate sites for a proposed manufacturing zone in Adamawa State, North East Nigeria. Industrial location decisions represent one of the most consequential and long-lasting strategic choices for manufacturing enterprises, influencing operational cost structures, supply chain logistics, workforce availability, and community relationship dynamics for decades after establishment. This research employs a hybrid multi-criteria decision analysis approach combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process for criteria weighting and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution for alternative site ranking. Ten evaluation criteria spanning infrastructure availability, market access, raw material proximity, labour market conditions, environmental risk, government incentive availability, land cost, security situation, utility capacity, and social acceptance were developed through a structured expert consultation process. Five candidate sites in different local government areas of Adamawa State were evaluated against these criteria using primary data gathered from field surveys and secondary data from state government agencies. The analysis ranks a site near Yola, proximate to the Benue River and the eastern regional highway, as the optimal location. Recommendations advise the Adamawa State Investment Promotion Bureau to prioritise infrastructure servicing of the selected site. Keywords: industrial location, Analytic Hierarchy Process, TOPSIS, Adamawa State, manufacturing zone