Nigeria, Saudia Arabia Synergies On Agribusiness
The Federal Government has expressed readiness to partner with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to boost agriculture and agro- allied ventures and expand the investment space in the Nigerian economy.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, communicated this when Abdulrahman Alfadley, the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, visited him on Thursday in Abuja.
Kyari said that Alfadley’s visit was timely as food security as well as agriculture was a priority item on the agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He said that the two countries had very strong and healthy bilateral relationships that dated back several centuries on account of the common ties between peoples, particularly in culture and religion.
“Let me use this opportunity to reiterate that the commitment of the incumbent Nigeria government to further expand the investment space in the Nigerian economy particularly in agriculture is getting stronger.
“The government is amassing greater confidence across the globe with renewed assurances of making Nigeria more investment friendly.
“This is with an unrelenting emphasis on ease of doing business.
“Thereby opening wide, the door for mutual benefits for well-meaning investors including from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Kyari said that Nigeria was desirous of a share in the agri-market of the Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia to surpass the current volume of agri-trade in areas of crops such as sesame, cashew, ginger, soyabean, wheat, maize, palm oil, animal feed, among others.
Earlier, Alfadley said that food security and agriculture were priorities to every country, adding that the visit was to strengthen his country’s bilateral ties with Nigeria.
“We do believe that Nigeria has some comparative advantages and the need to invest wisely in the agriculture and food sector whereby we will be targeting the Nigerian market or exporting to the nearby countries,” he said.
Also, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, said that the Federal Government was seeking partnership with the Saudi Arabia in the area of investing in the economy through agriculture.
Bagudu said the partnership would benefit both countries especially in the areas of economy and job creation.
“We want to get it right; we want partnership; we believe Nigeria is the country with the biggest absorptive capacity for investment in agriculture,” he said.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, expressed optimism that the partnership would benefit Nigeria in the area of sanitation and hygiene sector.
NAN/Oyenike Oyeniyi
