The Edo State Government has opened discussions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to attract investment in agricultural production, livestock development and agro-processing as part of efforts to position agriculture as a major driver of job creation and economic growth.
The state’s delegation, led by the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Ohimai Ehijimetor, met with the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al Shamsi, at the UAE Embassy in Abuja on Monday.
The delegation included the Special Adviser to the Governor on Livestock Development, Roland Igbadumhe; Senior Special Assistant on Agriculture and Food Security, Emmanuel Sule; and Project Coordinator of the Edo State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, Betsy Ikpikhumi.
Ehijimetor said the engagement was aimed at attracting capital, technology and technical expertise to Edo’s agricultural value chains, stressing that the state was exploring alternative sources of investment to develop agriculture as a commercially viable sector.
He identified oil palm, cocoa, pineapple, maize and cassava, alongside cattle, goat, poultry and fish production, as areas with significant investment potential in the state.
The commissioner said the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo was committed to transforming agriculture beyond subsistence production into a sector capable of creating jobs, attracting investment and generating wealth.
“Governor Monday Okpebholo is very clear about what he wants to achieve in Edo State. We are looking at agriculture not merely as a means of feeding our people, but as a major economic sector capable of creating jobs, attracting investment and generating wealth for the state,” he said.
Ehijimetor said the government was particularly interested in investors willing to support large-scale production, livestock development, processing and other stages of the agricultural value chain.
He stressed the need to promote local processing and value addition, rather than exporting agricultural commodities in their raw form.
“We are interested in the entire value chain. It is not enough to produce cocoa, cassava, maize or livestock and then export them as raw commodities. We want to see processing, value addition and industrial activities take place in Edo State,” he said.
The delegation also presented the forthcoming Edo International Agricultural and Livestock Investment Summit, scheduled for December in Abuja, to the UAE ambassador.
According to Ehijimetor, the summit will bring together investors, development institutions, agribusinesses, technology providers and policymakers to explore opportunities across Edo’s agricultural value chains.
He said the UAE’s experience in food security, agricultural technology, livestock development and international investment made the country an important partner in the state’s agricultural development efforts.
The commissioner also identified the Nigeria-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in January 2026, as an opportunity to deepen commercial relations and attract UAE-based investors to Edo.
Al Shamsi commended the state government’s initiative and pledged the cooperation of the UAE Embassy towards the successful hosting of the December summit.
The ambassador also expressed the embassy’s readiness to support efforts to mobilise UAE-based investors and business groups to participate in the event.
Ehijimetor said the state government would continue engaging diplomatic missions, development partners and private investors ahead of the summit to showcase Edo’s agricultural investment opportunities to the international community.
“We are taking Edo’s investment opportunities to the world. We want investors to see Edo as a place where they can come, invest, produce, process and make sustainable returns,” he said.
The visit concluded with the presentation of an official gift from Governor Okpebholo to Ambassador Al Shamsi as a gesture of goodwill.
