By Thomas Olatunji
The Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has held an economic bilateral meeting with the biggest conglomerate owned by the Egyptian Government, National Service Project Organisation (NSPO).
The North African organisation had expressed its readiness to invest in the agricultural sector of the state.
The Egyptian team that was on a courtesy call on the Governor in Abeokuta, led by Walid Morsi, declared that the organisation would focus on the cultivation of food and cash crops which would be exported to his home country and other parts of the world.
“We are trying to make Egypt a hub in the Mediterranean Region and we are partnering Nigeria in the area of agriculture where we can plant and process food and cash crops for exportation to Egypt.
“This partnership would be of great benefit to Nigeria and Egypt,” Morsi pointed out.
Similarly, Bashir Ibrahim, representative of NSPO in Nigeria, said the team was in Ogun to assess its viability especially in the agriculture sector where the company intended to focus on.
He added that the visit had provided the team with an opportunity to see one of the economic zones located at the cargo airport.
He observed that the state had economic concepts that could not be found in other states in the country.
Ibrahim, however, lauded the state government for the cargo airport which would host the agro processing zone, expressing delight with the facilities on ground.
He assured that cultivation of farm produce would not be the only area the company would invest, but in aqua and poultry farming.
Responding, Abiodun informed the investors that Ogun with more than 12,000 arable land out of its more than 16,000, total land mass was suitable for planting of food and cash crops.
The governor added that apart from availability of highly skilled manpower as the result of large number of educational institutions, the state was also blessed with abundant natural resources.
“We are investor-friendly. We are the agricultural capital that produces cassava, fish, eggs, blessed with abundant natural resources where two-third of our land sits on limestone.
“We have keyed into the Anchor Borrower’s Programme, where we cleared land for our people and link them with off-takers to buy their produce.
“We see agriculture as a source of food security and employment generation as well as revenue generation,”Abiodun stated.
The governor noted his administration was ready to welcome investors from Egypt, who were interested in investing in agriculture, saying the sector served as sources of food security, employment and revenue generation.
He emphasised that his administration was finalising arrangements with other Egyptian companies on other opportunities that would strengthen relationships and benefit the state and Nigeria as a whole.