OYSADA: Oyo Moves From Agricultural Potential to Modern Agribusiness Economy as Debo Akande Hosts EU, GIZ, UNICEF Delegation

Oyo State has reiterated its commitment to transforming its vast Agricultural potential into a modern, investment-driven Agribusiness economy as the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) hosted a strategic engagement with representatives of the European Union (EU), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The strategic meeting, held at the BIP Conference Room of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, brought together key stakeholders to review ongoing interventions, explore new areas of collaboration, and identify opportunities for strengthening Agriculture, employment creation, investment, youth development, and food security in Oyo State.

The meeting was led by Dr. Debo Akande DBA, FCMI, CGMR, Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), IITA Business Incubation Platform (IITA-BIP); Executive Adviser to the Governor of Oyo State on Agribusiness and International Cooperation Development; and Director General, Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), who represented the Oyo State Government and provided an overview of the State’s Agribusiness development strategy and its growing partnership with international development organisations.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Akande, on behalf of the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde , welcomed the EU, GIZ, and UNICEF delegations to Oyo State, describing the State as the Pacesetter State, a major Agricultural hub, food basket of the nation, and an emerging destination for investors and tourists.

He traced the evolution of the State’s Agribusiness strategy, recalling how the development of the strategy provided the foundation for the establishment of the Fasola Agribusiness Hub, which began as a pilot initiative and has since evolved into a major component of Oyo State’s industrial and Agricultural transformation agenda.

According to him, the experience at Fasola subsequently informed the development of other strategic Agribusiness locations, including the Ijaiye Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) and the Eruwa Agribusiness Hub.

Dr. Akande highlighted the State’s expansive land resources, noting that Oyo State covers approximately 24,454 square kilometres, with an estimated 80–85 per cent of the land considered arable. He added that the State has six agricultural zones covering diverse crop and livestock production systems, as well as nine farm settlements.

Providing an update on the progress of the agribusiness hubs, he disclosed that Fasola currently accommodates 16 companies, including nine industries, while the Ijaiye SAPZ is designed to accommodate about 30 companies and currently has two factories signed on. The Eruwa Agribusiness Hub, he added, is expected to accommodate 10 companies, with one company currently signed on.

Dr. Akande also unveiled the State’s investment in the Cocoa Rejuvenation Project, valued at approximately US$3 million, describing the initiative as part of the State’s broader effort to strengthen the cocoa value chain, improve productivity, and create opportunities for farmers and investors.

EU: Oyo Creating an Enabling Environment for Investment

Speaking on behalf of the European Union, Yolanda San Jose expressed satisfaction with the investment environment being developed in Oyo State. She commended the leadership of OYSADA for its resilience, commitment, and efforts towards ensuring that investment and development partnerships translate into tangible opportunities.

Also speaking, High Briggs, who manages the EU’s Agriculture portfolio in Nigeria and West Africa, said the delegation was in Oyo State to review key EU-supported projects currently being implemented in the State and identify additional areas of collaboration with the Oyo State Government and OYSADA.

Briggs explained that the EU is currently supporting three major projects in Oyo State, including the VACE (Value Chains for Agribusiness, Climate and Employment) project.

According to him, the VACE intervention focuses on key agricultural value chains, including cocoa and dairy, with a target of creating up to 10,000 employment opportunities for young people.

He said the EU is also supporting agricultural technical and vocational development, particularly through state-owned vocational institutions, with interventions aimed at improving infrastructure, providing technical assistance, and building the capacity of young people to adopt modern approaches to agriculture and Agribusiness.

Briggs further highlighted the role of technology in transforming agriculture, noting that satellite technology is being explored to support local farmers with better Agricultural information and services.

He disclosed that discussions were ongoing between the EU Space Agency and the Nigerian Space Agency to strengthen collaboration and explore how space technology could be applied to Agricultural development.

He said the broader objective of the EU interventions was not simply to provide facilities, but to create enterprises, expand access to credit, build the capacity of young people, and generate additional employment opportunities within the Agribusiness sector.

“We are not only providing facilities; we are creating enterprises, giving access to credit facilities, and enhancing capacity to provide additional job opportunities for young people in agribusiness, in order to grow the economy and address food security issues,” Briggs said.

He commended the Oyo State Government for its commitment to the projects and urged the administration to continue prioritising Agriculture and youth development.

Briggs also praised Governor Seyi Makinde for providing the political will and support required to drive the initiatives.

GIZ: Strengthening Private Sector, Youth and Value Chains

Representing GIZ, Dr. Andrea Ruediger outlined the organisation’s interest in supporting private-sector development, employment creation, business growth, and youth capacity development in Oyo State.

She explained that GIZ’s interventions include efforts to integrate smallholder farmers into formal value and supply chains, strengthen the dairy sector, promote investment, and facilitate access to finance and other support services.

According to her, GIZ is also working to expand opportunities within the Agribusiness ecosystem, with particular attention to youth participation, dairy development, and investment promotion.

She noted that financial and technical interventions could support the expansion of businesses and create stronger linkages between farmers, processors, investors, and markets.

Ruediger further disclosed that GIZ has substantial resources committed to interventions that can support Agribusiness development, with opportunities valued at about €170 million being brought into the pipeline for relevant interventions.

She specifically highlighted opportunities within the dairy and cocoa value chains, including support for cocoa seedlings, production, value addition, and export-oriented development.

She said GIZ was prepared to work with OYSADA and other stakeholders to incorporate these opportunities into Oyo State’s broader Agribusiness development agenda.

Partnership as Catalyst for Oyo’s Agribusiness Transformation

The engagement provided an opportunity for the Oyo State Government, OYSADA, and development partners to examine how ongoing interventions could be better coordinated to deliver sustainable economic opportunities for farmers, young people, private investors, and other actors across the agricultural value chain.

The discussions also underscored the importance of moving beyond agricultural production to a more integrated system encompassing processing, value addition, technology, financing, logistics, market access, skills development, and export opportunities.

For Oyo State, the engagement represents another step in its efforts to reposition agriculture from predominantly primary production towards a modern agribusiness economy capable of attracting investment, creating jobs, and strengthening food security.

The State Government reaffirmed its willingness to deepen partnerships with international development organisations and private-sector actors while leveraging the leadership of OYSADA to coordinate investments and interventions across the Agricultural ecosystem.

The GIZ delegation included Adeoye Adekunle Afees, Ilegbedion Matthew Ejiagbonawhen, and Laura De Guevara.

The strategic engagement ultimately reaffirmed a shared objective among the stakeholders: to leverage Oyo State’s Agricultural resources, Human capital, infrastructure, and investment opportunities to build a more productive, competitive, and sustainable Agribusiness economy.

Written/Reported  by 

Moyosoreoluwa Olamilekan Eldreez (IJOBA AUTHORITY MOE)

Strategic Communications | Brand Positioning | Media & Public Relations | Stakeholder Engagement..

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