The Ondo State Government has acquired 10,000 hectares of land in the Southern Senatorial District for a $200 million agricultural project aimed at boosting agribusiness and creating opportunities for young people and women.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Wemimo Akinsola, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting in Akure, stating that the initiative, undertaken in partnership with the Commonwealth Women’s Network, is designed to drive industrial-scale agriculture and economic development in the region.
The land, secured through the Ondo State Agribusiness Empowerment Centre (OSAEC) under the land banking scheme, will serve as a major agricultural hub. The project will cover planting, production, processing, packaging, and marketing, with access to water to support large-scale farming.
Akinsola noted that Ondo State is strategically positioning itself for agricultural export, leveraging the planned seaport in the region and the existing airport in Akure. The initiative aligns with the state government’s vision to establish Ondo as a leading agribusiness hub in Nigeria, providing both smallholder farmers and large-scale investors with modern farming techniques, improved productivity, and global market access.
The Commonwealth Women’s Network will provide funding, training, and technical expertise for the project. Its Cabinet Director, Niba Louis, emphasized that the initiative aims to employ over 3,000 workers, primarily farmers, by enhancing their productivity rather than replacing them.
Farmers in the region have welcomed the project, with one of them, Shola Adeniyan, urging others to take advantage of the opportunity.
OSAEC, established to revolutionize agriculture in Ondo, serves as a skill acquisition center for unemployed youths and functions as the state’s agricultural business arm, facilitating economic growth without direct involvement in production.
