Ogun Launches Landmark Agribusiness Forum to Supercharge Food Production.

Ogun State has unveiled a Multi-Stakeholder Agribusiness Forum (MAF) under the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme, a move officials say is aimed at boosting food production and tackling rural poverty. The initiative, government representatives noted, is designed to deepen private-sector involvement across the agricultural value chain, strengthen agribusiness sustainability, and improve the policy environment for investment.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

During a two-day high-level engagement to formalise the forum, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Bolu Owotomo, stated that the MAF will help ensure SAPZ interventions translate into concrete gains for farmers, particularly young people and women across the state’s three senatorial districts.

The National Programme Coordinator, Dr. Yusuf Kabir—represented by rural development specialist Abel Ameh—explained that the platform will foster coordinated dialogue among value-chain actors ranging from smallholder farmers to processors, financiers, service providers, policymakers, and research bodies. The mechanism, he added, is expected to strengthen linkages, support collective problem-solving, and align SAPZ activities with the priorities of stakeholders.

The State Programme Coordinator, Mrs. Kehinde Jokotoye, emphasized that the SAPZ model positions Ogun to leverage its agricultural strengths—including rice, cassava, palm oil, timber, and cocoa—to attract both domestic and international investment in processing, value-addition, and market expansion.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Forestry and facilitator of the forum, Dr. Oyesanwen Adekunle, noted that the forum was convened to unify stakeholders in driving the sector forward, expressing confidence that its inauguration would fast-track agricultural progress. Also speaking, the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Hon. Waliu Owode, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting farmers through various interventions.

Representing the Agro-Rangers Unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Deputy Commandant Abdulraheem Waheed said the specialised unit was established to mitigate farmer-herder conflicts and improve security within agricultural communities—an effort he described as vital to food security.

Newly inaugurated MAF Chairman, Olutayo Olushola, commended the state government for backing the initiative, describing the forum as a pivotal collaboration between the public and private sectors. He pledged to ensure that farmers benefit fully from opportunities across the agricultural value chain.