The Edo State Government has intensified efforts to attract foreign investment into its agricultural sector, as Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration deepens economic ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The initiative followed a high-powered delegation from the state to the UAE Embassy in Abuja, where it held discussions with the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al Shamsi, on opportunities in agriculture, livestock production, trade and investment.

The delegation was led by the Edo State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Ohimai Ehijimetor, and included the Special Adviser on Livestock Development, Roland Ignadumhe; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Security, Emmanuel Sule; and Project Coordinator of the Edo State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, Betsy Ikpikhumi.

The meeting, facilitated and coordinated by Sule, was part of the state government’s efforts to strengthen international partnerships and attract strategic investments into Edo’s agricultural value chains.

The delegation and the ambassador explored areas of possible cooperation aimed at encouraging long-term private-sector investment, expanding agricultural production and developing value chains that could create jobs and boost the state’s economy.

The engagement also considered opportunities under the Nigeria-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed in January 2026, which is designed to deepen economic cooperation and facilitate trade and investment between both countries.

Briefing the ambassador, the Edo delegation highlighted the state’s agricultural potential and identified investment opportunities in oil palm, cocoa, pineapple, maize and cassava production.

The state also presented opportunities in cattle, goat, poultry and fish farming, while assuring prospective investors of Edo’s arable land, business opportunities and government-backed incentives.

A major focus of the engagement was the forthcoming Edo International Agricultural and Livestock Investment Summit, scheduled to take place in Abuja in December.

The summit is expected to bring together institutional investors, agritech innovators, policymakers and other stakeholders to explore partnerships and joint ventures in commercial agriculture and livestock development.

Responding, Ambassador Al Shamsi commended the initiative of the Okpebholo administration and pledged the support of the UAE Embassy towards the successful hosting of the December summit.

The ambassador also committed to mobilising UAE-based investors and business groups to participate in the summit and explore investment opportunities available in Edo State.

The meeting ended with the presentation of an official gift from Governor Okpebholo to Ambassador Al Shamsi as a gesture of goodwill and a symbol of the growing relationship between Edo State and the UAE.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Ehijimetor said the engagement was the first in a series of bilateral discussions planned between the Edo State Government and diplomatic missions in Nigeria.

He said the engagements were part of preparations for the investment summit and the state’s broader strategy to attract international capital, technology and expertise into agriculture and livestock production.

The commissioner said the government was committed to using such partnerships to unlock Edo’s agricultural potential and position the state as a competitive destination for investors in the agro-allied sector.