By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Edo State Government has stepped up efforts to attract foreign investment into its agricultural sector, opening talks with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on partnerships in agriculture, livestock, trade and investment.
The initiative was discussed when a delegation led by the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Ohimai Ehijimetor, paid a courtesy visit to the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al Shamsi, at the embassy in Abuja.
The meeting, coordinated by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Monday Okpebholo on Agriculture and Food Security, Emmanuel Sule, focused on attracting private-sector investment and developing agricultural value chains in Edo State.
The Edo delegation presented investment opportunities in oil palm, cocoa, pineapple, maize and cassava production, as well as cattle, goat, poultry and fish farming.
Ehijimetor assured potential UAE investors that Edo had vast agricultural resources, large areas of arable land and government-backed incentives to support investors.
He said the state was ready to facilitate investments that would expand agricultural production, strengthen value chains and create jobs for residents.
The discussions also explored opportunities under the Nigeria-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed in January 2026 to deepen economic cooperation and reduce barriers to trade and investment between both countries.
The Edo delegation also formally invited the UAE Embassy to the Edo International Agricultural and Livestock Investment Summit scheduled to take place in Abuja in December.
The summit is expected to bring together investors, agribusiness operators, agritech innovators, policymakers and other stakeholders to explore commercial opportunities, partnerships and joint ventures in Edo’s agricultural sector.
Responding, Ambassador Al Shamsi commended the Edo Government for the initiative and pledged the UAE Embassy’s support for the successful hosting of the summit.
He also promised to mobilise UAE-based investors and business groups to participate in the event.
The meeting ended with the presentation of an official gift from Governor Okpebholo to the UAE envoy, highlighting the growing engagement between Edo State and the UAE.
Speaking after the meeting, Ehijimetor described the engagement as the beginning of a broader international investment drive by the state.
He said the meeting with the UAE Embassy was the first in a series of planned engagements with diplomatic missions as the state prepares for the December summit.
According to him, the government is determined to leverage international partnerships to unlock the commercial potential of Edo’s agricultural sector and position the state as a leading destination for agribusiness investment.