Accelerated investment in value addition and industrialisation has been identified as necessary strategies that would define Ondo State’s long-term economic transformation.

This assertion was made during the Ondo Investment Summit 2026 with the theme: ‘The New Ondo: Forging the Pathway to Prosperity,’ where investors and policymakers were urged to prioritise large-scale processing, manufacturing, and integrated value chain development as the foundation for sustainable growth.

According to the founder and Group Managing Director of CapitalSage Holdings, John Alamu, Ondo State possesses the agricultural depth, strategic positioning, and human capital required to emerge as a leading industrial hub.

Alamu emphasised that real prosperity for the state would depend on the scale of investment committed to transforming agricultural output into higher-value products.

He described value addition as the central lever of sustainable transformation, noting that it strengthens economic output, creates skilled employment, retains wealth within the state, and deepens Nigeria’s participation in global value chains .

Drawing from his experience in reviving moribund factories and repositioning them into production powerhouses, Alamu stressed that large-scale agro-processing is both proven and scalable.

He said: “Through Johnvents Group, a global value chain participant and agro-processing subsidiary of CapitalSage Holdings, previously dormant industrial assets have been revitalised into fully operational manufacturing hubs.

“What started as a single distressed cocoa facility in Akure has expanded into a network of 10 factories across four major towns in Ondo State.”

Alamu emphasised that the next phase of growth requires scale, expanded processing capacity, stronger infrastructure, and sustained collaboration between government and private capital.

“What is required now is scale, greater processing capacity, stronger infrastructure, and sustained collaboration between government and private capital,” he said.

He also called for continued focus on reliable power supply, regulatory clarity, predictable policy frameworks, and infrastructure expansion, noting that when the government reduces friction and private capital moves decisively, transformation accelerates.

“When government reduces friction and private capital moves decisively, transformation accelerates,” he said.