The Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has said that his government has succeeded in transforming agriculture through institutional reforms.
He maintained that the state decided to go through a structured agribusiness model that creates jobs, supports farmers, attracts investors, and strengthens its internal revenue base to move the state from poverty to prosperity.
The governor stated this at the second edition of the Oyo State International Agribusiness Summit 2025, held at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan.
The event was attended by critical stakeholders in the agriculture sector as well as bankers, industrialists and development partners from across the world.
Makinde, who said that his government has spent its first six years focusing on agriculture as one of the key drivers of the state’s economy, noted that the summit provided an opportunity to speak to the strategy it adopted over the years.
He described the summit as a reminder of what collaboration and interconnectivity could accomplish, adding that it represented the state’s commitment to transforming agriculture from a subsistence activity into a modern engine of inclusive economic growth.
The governor also unveiled the ‘Grown in Oyo State Certification Mark’, the state’s official stamp of authenticity for agricultural produce cultivated within the state to represent renewed commitment to quality, transparency, and a modern agribusiness ecosystem for connectivity of all agribusiness stakeholders through a trusted identity system, reiterating that his administration would continue to support genuine investors and foster meaningful partnership to boost the economic opportunities of the state.
Speaking on the theme of the summit, “Expanding Oyo State’s Economy through Agricultural Industrialisation,” Governor Makinde said that industrialisation is imperative for inclusive economic growth, noting that this has been the focus of his administration in the last six years and six months.
He reiterated his continued commitment to transforming Oyo State from potential to productivity and from productivity to prosperity, calling on agribusiness investors to explore the opportunities that abound in Oyo State, including abundant arable land with a favourable climate across multiple agro-ecological zones; a young and credible workforce; proximity to Lagos, which is Nigeria’s largest consumer market and emerging industrial hubs with infrastructure and security.
He added that the investors would also have access to “a government that listens, responds, and partners and finally, a commitment to policy stability and continuation.”
In their separate goodwill messages, the Ambassador of Belgium to Nigeria, His Excellency, Pieter Leenknegt; the Consul General, Trade Counsellor of Denmark in Nigeria, Ms. Jette Bjerrum; the immediate past Director-General, CGIAR/IITA, Dr. Nteranya Sanginga and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria PLC, Mr. Segun Alebiosu, lauded Governor Makinde’s innovation in driving agribusiness in the state.
They promised more partnership to boost the economic value chain.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director-General of OYSADA, Dr. Debo Akande, noted that the state has made a giant leap into an exciting future of opportunities in industrial agriculture, food security, economic growth, and economic development of the state.
Akande maintained that the future of the state lies primarily in the development of its agribusiness ecosystem through the industrialisation of agriculture, adding that rural infrastructure development has been driving agro-based industrialization in the state.
He equally revealed that the state will collaborate with several regional and global trade instruments that would allow access for agribusiness industrialists to trade globally.
