The Nigeria Agribusiness Register (NAR) has partnered with Propcom+, a UK-funded programme, and other capital providers to unlock investment opportunities for agribusinesses and strengthen Nigeria’s food security.
The partnership was announced by Nathaniel Odiba, Deal Room and Partnership Manager at NAR, at the Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) Investment Deal Room on Wednesday in Abuja.
Odiba said the initiative, led by NAR as strategic lead of the Agribusiness Deal Room, was designed to connect scalable agribusinesses with investors, financial institutions, development partners and other sources of capital.
He said the Deal Room provided a structured platform for businesses seeking finance, technical support and market opportunities to engage directly with potential investors and commercial partners.
According to him, the initiative was also focused on improving investment readiness, providing technical assistance and expanding market access, with engagements expected to continue beyond the summit where viable investment opportunities emerged.
“The Deal Room facilitated structured engagement between agribusinesses seeking finance, technical support and market opportunities and potential investors, financial institutions, development partners and other private-sector actors,” Odiba said.
He said NAR, with support from Propcom+, managed the Deal Room through curated thematic pitch sessions and structured one-on-one meetings.
The arrangement, he added, enabled participating businesses to present their operations, financing requirements and expansion plans to relevant capital and commercial partners.
Country Representative of Propcom+, Dr Adiya Ode, said access to finance remained only one of the challenges confronting many agribusinesses.
She said businesses must also be investment-ready, while financiers needed adequate information to assess enterprises and financing models suited to the realities of agricultural businesses.
“Our support for the ASA Deal Room is therefore about strengthening the connection between viable businesses and the capital and commercial opportunities they need to grow,” Ode said.
She said Propcom+ was seeking to strengthen a structured market mechanism that would support businesses before, during and after the summit rather than merely facilitate introductions at an investment event.
Ode said the programme’s success would ultimately be measured by stronger connections between agribusinesses and financial or commercial partners, improved investment readiness and increased private-sector investment in the agricultural market system.
She said Propcom+ is an eight-year programme running from 2023 to 2030, supporting rural and agricultural market development, climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture and forestry.
The programme, she added, seeks to deliver benefits for people, climate and nature.
