Being the Keynote Address by His Excellency Seyi Makinde, Executive Governor of Oyo State at the Oyo State International Agribusiness Summit (OYSIAS 2025) at the IITA Conference Centre, Ibadan, on Wednesday, 3 December 2025
I welcome you all to the Oyo State International Agribusiness Summit (OYSIAS 2025). This gathering is a reminder of what collaboration and interconnectivity can accomplish. It represents our commitment to transforming agriculture from a subsistence activity into a modern engine of inclusive economic growth.
As we conclude the first six years of focusing on agriculture as one of the key drivers of Oyo State’s economy, this summit provides another opportunity to speak to the strategy we have adopted over the years leading up to this summit’s theme, “Expanding Oyo State’s Economy Through Agricultural Industrialisation.”
The vision has remained consistent: to move Oyo State from potential to productivity, and from productivity to prosperity, through a structured agribusiness model that creates jobs, supports farmers, attracts investors, and strengthens our internal revenue base.
Let me start by taking us back to 2019. Before we assumed office, we developed the Roadmap for Accelerated Development 2019-2023. Back then, we noticed a disconnect between government policy and private sector realities.
The idea of agriculture solely as a business was not a popular concept. The government was providing subsidies to support subsistence farming with no clear strategy to support large scale agriculture and little to no coordination between policy, infrastructure, research institutions, and private-sector investment.
To change this, we established a new institutional backbone for agribusiness in Oyo State.
We created the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) as a special purpose vehicle and dedicated implementation engine. We reorganised the agricultural sector around hubs, corridors, and value-chain clusters through interconnectivity of all our zones. And we adopted a roadmap that treats agriculture as a business.
That roadmap has guided every decision we have taken in six key areas:
- Agricultural industrialisation and infrastructure
- Youth and women in agribusiness
- Research-driven production
- Agricultural financing and investment mobilisation
- Technology and data systems
- Institutional reforms and governance
Against this background, let me share highlights of what we have accomplished over the years
1. Development of Agribusiness Industrial Hubs
We identified strategic hubs that anchor value-chain activity and organised infrastructure around them.
The Oyo State Agribusiness Transformation Centre, Fasola—designated by the African Development Bank as Nigeria’s first Agricultural Transformation Centre—has become a reference point for integrated commercial agriculture. Today, Fasola houses processing, storage, irrigated farmland, investor facilities, and an innovation corridor that links smallholder farmers directly to market opportunities.
At Eruwa and Ijaiye, we have moved beyond planning to begin implementation. These sites are part of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) programme, which the African Development Bank and other partners have supported. Ijaiye is also the site for a Rungis-style wholesale agrifood market. With development about to kick off, these locations will serve as regional magnets for commodities, technology, and agribusiness investment.
2. The Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP)
We made a commitment to raise a new generation of agripreneurs. Through YEAP, thousands of young people have been trained, equipped, and linked to opportunities in primary production, processing, logistics, and digital agriculture. Many are now employers in their own right. We continue to provide for these young ones a path to sustainable agriculture.
3. Collaboration With Research Institutes
We have deepened our relationship with research institutes – the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and other knowledge institutions. These collaborations have improved yields, introduced disease-resistant varieties, strengthened extension services, and ensured that our farmers receive global-standard support systems.
4. Strengthening Rural Infrastructure
Agricultural industrialisation requires roads, power, and security.
Under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) and complementary state-led programmes, we have upgraded rural roads that connect producers to markets. Power systems in our hubs are being strengthened, and water systems are being upgraded.
We also improved rural security through the Oyo State Amotekun and community-led security structures. This has been essential in reducing risks for farmers and agribusiness investors in remote communities.
5. Reforms in Land Administration and Ease of Doing Business
We reduced bureaucracy around land allocation for agribusiness, strengthened investor relations, and introduced systems that give investors confidence.
Through OYSADA, investors now have a clear pathway from enquiry to investment, with dedicated support for due diligence, land verification, documentation, and community engagement.
6. Improved Internal Revenue and Market Linkages
Our focus on agricultural value chains has contributed to the growth in the state’s internally generated revenue by over 250% in the past six years. With processing facilities, aggregation centres, and improved logistics, we are seeing more private-sector players integrate into Oyo State’s economy.
And now we face the future with confidence.
But I must say even with these gains, we recognise that our journey is not finished. The next frontier requires deeper industrialisation, stronger coordination, and heavier private-sector participation. As we say here in Oyo State, “the only business that government should have in business is to create an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.”
Here are some development projects we will be prioritising in the next years and beyond.
1. Completing the SAPZ Projects at Eruwa and Ijaiye
These two zones are positioned to be transformational. In this next phase, we will accelerate infrastructure, utilities, land preparation, and investor onboarding to ensure that both zones become operational, investment-ready clusters that drive jobs and exports.
2. Expanding Processing and Storage Infrastructure
To reduce post-harvest losses and grow agribusiness profitability, we will scale cold-chain systems, warehousing, community storage, and modular processing facilities for cassava, maize, livestock, horticulture, and dairy.
3. Strengthening the Agribusiness Workforce
Our youth programmes will be expanded to include industrial-level training in processing, quality control, agricultural machinery, drone technology, irrigation systems, and value-chain management.
4. Mainstreaming Technology and Data
We will build digital farmer registries, GIS-enabled agricultural mapping, market intelligence systems, and automated extension platforms to track production, logistics, and pricing.
5. Deepening Public-Private Partnerships
We will strengthen our partnerships with investors, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), commodity associations, processors, small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), and cooperatives. Our goal is to make Oyo State the easiest place in Nigeria to run an agribusiness.
Investors and friends of Oyo State agribusiness, allow me to restate that Oyo State remains one of the most attractive agribusiness investment destinations in Nigeria.
We offer:
- Abundant arable land with favourable climate across multiple agro-ecological zones
- A young, trainable workforce
- Proximity to Lagos and Nigeria’s largest consumer markets
- Emerging industrial hubs with infrastructure and security
- A government that listens, responds, and partners
- A commitment to policy stability and continuity
This summit is not just for presentations. It is a marketplace for ideas, partnerships, and investment decisions. I encourage every stakeholder to engage fully, explore opportunities, and connect with our teams.
Remember, the work ahead is bigger than any one institution. It requires collaboration between farmers, processors, technology providers, financiers, researchers, and government.
But together, we can build a State where:
- Farmers produce competitively
- Processing industries thrive
- Youth find meaningful careers in agribusiness
- Export-oriented clusters emerge
- Rural communities are safer, richer, and more connected
- And agriculture continues to thrive as one of the strongest pillars of our economy
This is the Oyo State we are building—a State that leads, a State that innovates, and a State that is ready to feed Nigeria and contribute to Africa’s agricultural transformation agenda.
Let me take this opportunity to thank our partners—local and international—for believing in the Oyo State story. I thank our farmers, extension workers, processors, and entrepreneurs for their resilience. And I thank every investor here for choosing to be part of our journey.
The next chapter of Oyo State’s agricultural industrialisation begins now.
Let us build it together.
Thank you, and God bless you.
Seyi Makinde
03 December 2025