The Federal Government has unveiled plans to establish a $500 million Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Fund to mobilise investment and accelerate agricultural transformation across the Niger Delta region.
The proposed fund is designed as a commercially driven investment platform to finance projects across the agricultural value chain, including oil palm, aquaculture, cassava, cocoa, rice, horticulture, livestock and marine resources.
It is also expected to attract capital from multilateral development institutions, commercial financiers and private investors.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima unveiled the initiative on Wednesday in Abuja at the launch of the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Summit 2026.
The summit was themed: “Unlocking Investment for Sustainable Agricultural Transformation in the Niger Delta”.
Shettima said agriculture remained central to the Tinubu administration’s development agenda because of its role in ensuring food security, economic growth and national stability.
“The $500 million Niger Delta Agricultural Investment Fund, which we launch today, is a commercial, returns-driven vehicle spanning the agricultural value chain, from aquaculture and palm oil to cassava, cocoa, rice, horticulture, marine resources and livestock,” he said.
He said the fund would coordinate commitments from development partners, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as private and commercial financiers.
“The promise of an agricultural boom is one we cannot afford to take for granted.
“Nations survive on many resources, but they endure because they can feed themselves.
“Agriculture is therefore not only the foundation of civilisation; it is the first guarantee of political stability,” he said.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, said the summit was timely.
He said food security remained one of President Bola Tinubu’s top priorities, adding that agricultural mechanisation was a key pillar of the Federal Government’s strategy to boost productivity.
Earlier, Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the region’s economy had historically been driven by agriculture before the discovery of crude oil.
He said the summit marked the beginning of a coordinated investment programme aimed at attracting private capital and diversifying the region’s economy.
According to him, the transition of international oil companies from onshore operations to deep offshore assets presents an opportunity for agriculture to emerge as the next major investment destination in the Niger Delta.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, said the summit sought to connect the Niger Delta’s agricultural potential with investment, partnerships and institutions needed to unlock sustainable growth.
He said the region possessed vast agricultural resources, waterways and entrepreneurial talent, but required coordinated implementation and access to capital to realise its full potential.
