Niger State Governor Umar Bago, in an initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria’s agricultural landscape, has announced the donation of 100,000 hectares of farmland to Lagos State to drive large-scale agricultural development.
The announcement was made at the FirstBank Nigeria-sponsored Agric & Export Expo 2025, held in Lagos, a gathering designed to catalyse investment, knowledge exchange, and innovative partnerships in Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
Governor Bago described the partnership as a strategic production-to-consumption model, with Niger State serving as the production hub and Lagos State as the consumer and logistics hub.
The plan includes the ambitious “Lagos Farm” project, which will span multiple locations in Niger State to cultivate staple crops such as yams and beans, alongside livestock farming for Lagos markets.
Bago highlighted Nigeria’s export potential and identified significant opportunities in the Middle East livestock market.
He revealed that the annual Hajj pilgrimage requires approximately five million sheep, each valued at 500 riyals, representing a 2.5 billion riyal market in a single transaction.
He further projected that annual livestock demand in the region could reach 30 million animals, underlining the vast untapped opportunities for Nigerian exporters.
The governor stressed the importance of value addition across the livestock chain, encompassing meat, hides, and by-products. He cautioned that countries exporting only raw commodities remain perpetually underdeveloped.
The expo also underscored the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to agricultural growth, emphasising domestic food security and international export potential.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, represented by his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Alkali, articulated a bold vision to transform Nigerian agriculture from a subsistence-based sector into a globally competitive industry.
“A tonne of raw produce generates income, but tonnes of processed produce build industries, create employment, and earn foreign exchange,” Kyari stated.
He used cocoa as a practical example, noting that Nigeria earns around $700 million annually from raw cocoa exports, but processing the same quantity could increase revenue three- to five-fold.
Kyari also highlighted infrastructural bottlenecks as critical obstacles to Nigeria’s agricultural ambitions.
He lamented that transporting a container from Ghana to Lagos can cost more than shipping it to Europe, stressing the urgent need for zero-reject policies, accredited laboratories, and global-standard certification systems.
Drawing inspiration from international examples, he referenced Brazil, which generated $125 billion in agricultural exports in 2021, and Kenya, where innovative financial models have positioned agriculture as the country’s third-largest foreign exchange earner.
Another key focus was Nigeria’s demographic advantage: Over 70% of the population is under 30 years old.
Between 2020 and 2022, African youth-led agri-tech startups attracted $640 million in investment, demonstrating the crucial role of young innovators in shaping a modern, technologically-driven agricultural sector.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu urged private sector collaboration to diversify Nigeria’s economy from oil dependency.
He described the expo as a “visionary platform” for developing an agriculture-driven future.
Emphasising global oil price volatility, foreign exchange instability, and rising import costs, Sanwo-Olu said, “Nigeria must urgently broaden its economic base; the global marketplace is not waiting for us.”
Sanwo-Olu lauded President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, which he said have stimulated growth in non-oil exports.
Citing Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) data, he noted that non-oil exports rose by 19.59% in the first half of 2025, reaching $3.225 billion, up from $2.696 billion in the same period in 2024.
He stressed Lagos’s special responsibility as Nigeria’s commercial hub, pointing to critical infrastructure projects supported through a $1.35 billion partnership with Afreximbank and Access Bank, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Lekki-Epe International Airport.
Additionally, Lagos has established a N500 billion Offtake Guarantee Fund to promote food security and enhance agricultural productivity.
Representing the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, NEPC CEO Mrs. Nonye Ayeni highlighted government initiatives to ensure Nigerian exporters meet international certification standards.
She reiterated that the One State One Product (OSOP) programme remains central to Nigeria’s strategy to diversify the economy and strengthen local production.
FirstBank Managing Director, Olusegun Alebiosu, reaffirmed the bank’s dedication to supporting agribusiness and non-oil export initiatives, describing agriculture as a once-overlooked sector that is now central to Nigeria’s economic growth agenda.
He praised the Federal Government’s policies, noting that they are pivotal in achieving food sovereignty, industrial growth, and export diversification.
Alebiosu emphasised that the expo reflects a shared vision for a resilient, export-driven economy, anchored on agriculture, solid minerals, and non-oil exports.
The FirstBank 2025 Agric & Export Expo, themed “The Fundamentals of Building an Export-Driven Economy”, concluded with actionable strategies for ensuring Nigerian goods reach international markets, highlighting the synergy required between government policy, private sector investment, and youth-driven innovation to position Nigeria as a global agricultural powerhouse.