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ABUJA – The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is partnering with the presidency to mobilise at least $500 million by leveraging agricultural investments in the oil rich region.
Vice President Kashim Shettima is expected to unveil the inaugural forum, under the auspices of Niger Delta Agriculture Development and Investment Summit scheduled for July 15 at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The summit, themed ‘Unlocking Investment for Sustainable Agricultural Transformation in the Niger Delta’, is expected to attract about 500 participants, including global investors, development finance institutions, agribusiness firms, policymakers, development partners and regional stakeholders.
Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, told reporters at a briefing session that the summit represents a major milestone in President Bola Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda.
He said it reflects the administration’s determination to transform agriculture into a driver of inclusive growth, food security and job creation.
He said the initiative enjoys presidential endorsement and will provide a high-level platform for unlocking investment, addressing structural challenges in agriculture and developing practical strategies to reposition the Niger Delta as a major agricultural production and export zone.
“The summit represents a strategic shift from potential to performance, from conversation to capital and from fragmentation to coordination. It aligns squarely with the national vision of building a resilient, diversified and inclusive Nigerian economy, with agriculture as a central driver,” Hadejia said.
He noted that although the Niger Delta is widely known for its hydrocarbon wealth, the region possesses enormous but underutilised agricultural resources and comparative advantages in several food and cash crops capable of strengthening Nigeria’s food security and export earnings.
According to him, the Federal Government’s agricultural agenda extends to every part of the country and recognises the Niger Delta as a critical component of Nigeria’s long-term agricultural transformation.
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the commission is targeting a $500 million investment fund to catalyse commercial agriculture across the nine Niger Delta states.
According to him, the summit is designed as an investment marketplace rather than another policy conference, bringing together investors, financiers and development partners to unlock capital for agriculture.
“We are moving agriculture in the Niger Delta from subsistence to large-scale commercial production. The target is to mobilise a $500 million investment fund that will catalyse agricultural development across the region,” Ogbuku said.
He explained that Abuja was deliberately chosen to host the summit because it provides easy access to diplomatic missions, donor agencies, development finance institutions and international investors expected to participate.
“It is a global programme. We are bringing the Niger Delta to where the capital is. Most of the investors, donor agencies and international organisations are based in Abuja. Holding the summit here makes participation easier and significantly reduces logistics costs,” he said.
Ogbuku added that the partnership with the Office of the Vice President provides strategic leadership for the initiative, given Vice President Kashim Shettima’s role in coordinating key federal economic and food security programmes.
The NDDC boss said the commission is replacing traditional intervention programmes with sustainable financing models capable of attracting private capital and delivering long-term economic benefits.
