Makinde showcases transformation of Fasola Agribusiness Hub to dignitaries (photos)
President of Sierra Leone, Mr. Julius Maada Bio was joined by Oyo State governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde among other governors in Nigeria to visit Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub (FAIH) in Oyo state.
FAIH has been designated the first Agribusiness Transformation Centre in Nigeria by the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group under the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone programme.
Makinde in a tweet on X said Borno state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum and Plateau state governor, Caleb Mutfwang were part of the top delegates at the IITA CGIAR for the panel discussions on “Learning from Success Stories and Strengthening Private Sector Partnerships”.
He added that Governor Mutfwang also joined him, the President of Sierra Leone to visit Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub.
Makinde noted that the administration’s commitment to doing agriculture differently led to its creation of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) and the subsequent upgrade of the moribund Fasola Farms, Oyo, to Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub.
He added that the decision has paid off, with the AfDB designating the Hub as the first Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) in Nigeria.
He charged the Sierra Leonean president to adopt the Oyo State Agribusiness model for his country.
The governor said: “It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the pacesetter state.
“For a fact, when we came into government in 2019, we knew agriculture would be one of the pillars on which the economic transformation of Oyo State would be built.
“We started by creating a strategy document, The Roadmap for Accelerated Development of Oyo State (2019-2023). We have since followed that with The Roadmap for Sustainable Development of Oyo State (2023-2027).
“Before I leave office, I will also produce a document that I will hand over to the incoming administration. It will be The Roadmap for Continuous Development of Oyo State (2027 and beyond). So, we will continue to take steps to modernise our agricultural sector and enhance food security as well as stimulate economic growth.
“About 2020, we signed the OYSADA law and it has been an agency which has served as a special purpose vehicle for agribusiness partnership between the state, the private sector and development organisations. It is a model I will recommend for Sierra Leone.
“About a year later, we started developing the first agribusiness industrial hub, which would serve as a pilot for other developments. I spoke about this earlier; it is the first APZ in Nigeria and we have already kicked-started the next one in Eruwa. We also have another one coming up in Ijaye through collaboration with the French Government.
“Another thing we have done is to leverage the AfCFTA free trade area to expand our agricultural exports to see partnership at both the national and sub-national levels.
“Also, because we know how important having the right skills in agriculture is, we launched our training programme by collaborating with IITA on the Start Them Early Programme in a small school but we have now expanded it to all the senatorial zones of Oyo State.
“Your Excellency, we don’t just talk, we walk the talk and we will continue to do whatever we say we are going to do.”
