𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘀 𝗙𝗚, 𝗡𝗗𝗗𝗖 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 $500𝗺 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀

𝗕𝗬 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗔 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘,

𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮, 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮.

The Federal Government, in partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), is set to launch a $500 million Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Fund aimed at transforming agriculture into a major economic driver across the nine oil-producing states.

The fund will be officially unveiled next Wednesday during the maiden Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Summit at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Vice President Kashim Shettima will serve as Chairman of the Fund's Board of Trustees.

Jointly organised by the Office of the Vice President and the NDDC with the endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the summit is expected to attract over 500 participants, including local and international investors, development finance institutions, policymakers, agribusiness experts, and regional stakeholders.

Speaking during a joint press briefing at the State House, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, described the initiative as a strategic intervention designed to unlock the enormous agricultural potential of the Niger Delta while reducing the nation's dependence on crude oil.

According to Hadejia, the investment fund represents a shift from policy discussions to practical investment capable of stimulating commercial agriculture, creating employment opportunities, improving food security, and attracting private sector participation.

He explained that the initiative aligns with the Tinubu administration's economic diversification agenda, with agriculture positioned as a key pillar for sustainable growth and national development.

The presidential aide also disclosed that the initiative has already attracted interest from several international development partners, including Afreximbank, development finance institutions, foreign diplomatic missions, and the Brazilian government.

Responding to concerns over possible duplication with the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Council, Hadejia clarified that the council focuses on coordinating Nigeria's food systems, while the newly established fund is specifically designed to finance large-scale agricultural investments within the Niger Delta.

He further urged Nigerian youths to embrace agriculture as a profitable business venture, noting that countries such as Brazil and India have successfully leveraged agriculture to drive economic prosperity.

Providing further details, NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the initiative was conceived following a strategic retreat held in Port Harcourt in October 2025 involving Commissioners for Agriculture and Food Security from the Commission's nine mandate states.

He explained that the summit will also inaugurate the Niger Delta Agricultural Development and Investment Council, which will coordinate the implementation of the investment fund alongside financing from development finance institutions, commercial banks, private equity firms, and other investors.

According to Ogbuku, the fund will finance investments across priority agricultural value chains, including oil palm, cassava, cocoa, rice, horticulture, fisheries, marine resources, and livestock production.

He noted that the initiative is in line with President Tinubu's directive to unlock the Niger Delta's vast economic potential through increased non-oil investments and inclusive economic development.

The NDDC boss stressed that Nigeria's economy was largely sustained by agriculture before the discovery of crude oil, expressing confidence that renewed investment in the sector would encourage people to return to farming while attracting industrial-scale agricultural projects to the region.

Ogbuku explained that Abuja was chosen as the venue for the summit to facilitate engagement with investors, donor agencies, and development partners, many of whom are headquartered in the nation's capital.

He also acknowledged that some previous agricultural projects executed by the Commission recorded limited success due to inadequate planning but assured that lessons learned have informed the new investment approach.

The Managing Director further revealed that the NDDC recently provided ₦5 billion to the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce to support small agribusinesses while continuing its partnership with the IFAD-backed LIFE-ND programme and other private-sector agro-processing initiatives.

Appealing to investors, Ogbuku described the Niger Delta as one of Nigeria's safest investment destinations, assuring that the Commission is committed to creating an enabling environment for profitable agricultural investments.

The $500 million investment fund is expected to drive large-scale commercial agriculture, expand food production, create employment, and accelerate economic diversification across the Niger Delta region.