Niger Has Capacity to Feed Africa - Osinbajo

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said that Niger State, with its large arable land and other agricultural potentials, has capacity to feed the whole of Africa.

He was speaking at the Niger State Investment Summit tagged "Truly Niger" with the theme, "Impact Investing for Advancing Agricultural Economy and Innovation" in Minna yesterday.

"With 10 per cent of Nigeria's total land mass, 80 per cent of which is arable, Niger state symbolises the hope and greatness of Nigeria and has potential to feed the continent," the acting president said.

Osinbajo also said with three major dams and a couple of small ones, the state is better positioned to drive the diversification of Nigeria's revenue sources through agriculture.

The acting president reiterated that agriculture was a sure way of diversifying Nigeria's economy and ensuring food security as well as improving her foreign exchange earnings.

"The fundamental for the sustainable growth of Nigeria is not in the hydro-carbon industry but in agriculture," he said, adding that Niger State would provide the necessary springboard to realizing this dream.

He said the summit was an appropriate platform for showcasing these huge resources to the world so that investors could take advantage of the many opportunities that abound.

Osinbajo said other measures that would attract investments to the state include power, rural road networks and markets.

He said the proximity to Abuja was an opportunity to make the state an industrial hub, while also tapping into renewable energy to complement the existing hydro power as power sources.

He said the federal government would collaborate with the state in intervening in federal government projects and institutions such as Kainji National Parks as a veritable tourists' attraction, among others.