By Ezra Musa
Kaduna State and Niger are exploring joint agro-processing investments to accelerate industrial growth and strengthen food security.
The initiative was made known on Thursday in Kaduna during an experience sharing visit by the officials of the Niger Ministry of Agriculture under an Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)-supported initiative.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PASS is being supported by AGRA with technical assistance from a company, Synergos, to strengthen sector planning and execution.
The Commissioner, Kaduna state Ministry for Agriculture, Mr Murtala Dabo, said that both states were shifting focus from primary production to coordinated agro-industrial development.
“Expansion in production is no longer enough. The real value is in processing, certification and structured markets,” he said.
He said that rice, maize, soybeans, ginger, tomatoes, groundnuts and shea butter remained priority commodities, but stressed that competitiveness would depend on value addition.
Dabo said Kaduna’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone and Agricultural Quality Assurance Centres were positioned to support regional processing partnerships and reduce export rejection.
He added that improved security had restored cultivation in previously affected communities, creating new opportunities for large-scale investment.
The Niger Commissioner for Agriculture, Sidi Rijau, said the visit was aimed at identifying concrete areas for joint investment and institutional collaboration.
“We are here to move from dialogue to structured partnerships that attract private capital and strengthen value chains across both states,” Rijau said.
He said Niger was advancing reforms in mechanisation, climate-smart agriculture and market access, alongside policy reviews to improve the investments climate.
Also, the Country Director of Synergos Nigeria, Mr Victor Adejor, said coordinated investments planning and policy alignment were essential for sustainable agricultural transformation.
Adejor urged both states to translate peer learning into bankable projects, capable of drawing private sector participation.
NAN reports that the two-day engagement is focusing on agro-processing investment models, policy coordination and private sector integration across priority value chains.
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