The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has wooed foreign investors to invest in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, assuring them that the country is ready for agribusiness.
He said Nigeria remained the best place to invest given its 70 million hectares of underutilised arable land, which, according to him, is 75 per cent of the country’s total land mass.
Shettima, who stated this on Tuesday in Iowa, United States, during the 2023 Norman Borlaug International Dialogue, in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha noted that there were substantial opportunities in Nigeria for local and foreign investors to boost agricultural productivity.
Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, also referred to as the “Borlaug Dialogue,” is a gathering of individuals from more than 65 countries fully prepared to address cutting-edge issues related to global food security and nutrition.
Speaking at this year’s edition of the Dialogue with the theme, “Harnessing Change,” the Vice President told the gathering that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s watch, Nigeria has since demonstrated that the Agrifood sector was a top priority.
Delivering his address titled, “Nigeria’s Agribusiness Roadmap for a Prosperous Future,” VP Shettima said, “Our primary objective is to empower our farmers and attract investors. We are increasing primary production to harness the economic potential of agro-processing and industrialisation. This is why, upon assuming office, the President declared a state of emergency in agriculture.
“The connection between food and national security is too significant for us not to be alarmed by happenings around the world, whether in response to unforeseen disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic or the geopolitical frictions around us.”
Restating Nigeria’s firm belief in the power of partnership, the VP explained that it was for this reason that the country had prioritised interventions, which he said present profound economic opportunities for investors.
