Follow Us on Google
Shettima assures of support
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has welcomed the renewed and bold investment thrust by African agribusiness powerhouse Export Trading Group (ETG) into Nigeria’s agricultural sector, promising robust government protections and incentives aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s transformational reforms.
Shettima, speaking during a courtesy visit by ETG’s delegation led by Global COO Niren Murugan to the Presidential Villa on Thursday, underscored the critical alignment between ETG’s multi-million-dollar investments and the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at boosting food security, economic diversification, and employment generation.
Highlighting ETG’s plans spanning agro-logistics, fertiliser blending and production, seed development, and industrial processing, Shettima said, “You have been in the country since 2010, but this time around, you have decided to play a more active role in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain. This is where the action is. We have the population and abundance of resources for your investments to thrive.”
He praised the company’s strategy for establishing Centres of Agro-Excellence in key states, calling it “commendable” for supporting regional agricultural modernisation.
Shettima urged ETG to tap into diverse regional potentials to amplify food production capabilities and to benefit from Nigeria’s large domestic market and resource endowment.
Other News
The Vice President affirmed the administration’s commitment: “Nigeria’s ongoing reforms guarantee the security and sustainability of your investments. ETG’s commitment inspires confidence and signals a new era of agricultural transformation in our country.”
Murugan detailed ETG’s imminent launch of a cutting-edge oil processing facility in Sagamu, Ogun State, slated for operation by the second quarter of 2026. He further outlined the pipeline for fertiliser blending, seed production, and integrated agro-logistics investments, reinforced by partnerships to create Centres of Agro-Excellence in Kaduna, Ebonyi, Cross River, Ekiti, Jigawa, Nasarawa, and Borno states. These hubs will provide vital infrastructure for mechanisation, storage, input supply, and primary processing to uplift local farming communities.
Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, expressed enthusiastic readiness to support ETG’s ambitions, affirming, “We can match your vision end-to-end. We have the land, the mineral resources, and the enabling environment to make it happen.” He highlighted sweeping state reforms targeting increased agricultural productivity and the strategic development of port facilities at Bakassi and Calabar to complement the agribusiness expansion.
This strategically coordinated investment is poised to generate more than 6,000 direct jobs while catalysing a strengthened agricultural value chain across Nigeria, key for President Tinubu’s agenda of economic renewal and youth employment.
Among those accompanying the ETG team were Nigeria Business Manager Ogu Goodluck, Senior Business Development Manager Bharat Shinde, and CFO Amin Ahmad, all pivotal in driving the company’s ambitious expansion.
