By Oyo Amebo
“International cooperation is not an option; it is a necessity for progress,” said Kofi Annan, and nowhere is this more evident than in Oyo State today. Once a region producing crops primarily for local consumption, Oyo is now demonstrating how strategic international engagement can transform agriculture into a global economic force.
The state’s farms are no longer isolated plots, they are nodes in a network of trade, investment, and knowledge-sharing that stretches across continents.
Central to this revolution is the deliberate synergy between vision and execution. Governor Seyi Makinde has provided the policy direction, the political will, and the resources to make agribusiness a strategic driver of economic transformation.
Translating this vision into tangible outcomes is Dr. Debo Akande, the Executive Adviser to the Governor on International Cooperation Development and pioneer Director-General of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA). Together, their partnership has redefined what is possible in state-led agricultural development.
At the 2025 Oyo State International Agribusiness Summit held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Akande addressed government officials, international diplomats, financiers, agribusiness leaders, and development partners with a message that left no room for ambiguity: industrial agribusiness is the future of Oyo’s economy.
“The future of Oyo State lies primarily in the development of its agribusiness ecosystems through the industrialisation of agriculture,” he asserted, highlighting the glaring gap between Nigeria’s raw export figures and its minimal value-added products.
Under Dr. Akande’s leadership, Oyo has operationalised this vision with remarkable precision. Agribusiness industrial hubs at Ijaiye and Eruwa now host more than fifty agro-industrial companies, attracting nearly $500 million in new investments.
These hubs are projected to employ over 100,000 people while supporting more than half a million farmers, transforming rural communities into vibrant economic centres.
Infrastructure has been a cornerstone of this revolution. Over 1,200 kilometres of feeder roads, a 30-kilometre circular road, cargo airport facilities, and rail linkages are deliberately connecting production centres to markets. Efficiency, connectivity, and private sector engagement are no longer aspirational, they are operational.
The results are undeniable: a 300% increase in state revenue, nearly 27,000 farmers benefiting from industrial investments, and a 22% return on investment from the Oyo Agribusiness Transformation Centre in Fashola.
But Oyo’s ambition does not stop at borders. Through strategic alignment with global trade frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the World Wholesale Union market, and the European Union via bilateral engagements, Oyo is positioning itself as a global agribusiness competitor.
The state is building not just an economy, but an international benchmark for industrialised agriculture, a model other Nigerian states would do well to replicate.
Central to this transformation is the Makinde-Akande partnership. Where Makinde provides the vision, political will, and sustainable policy frameworks, Akande delivers operational execution, innovation, and international linkages.
“His Excellency is not building projects; he is building systems.
Systems that will continue feeding, employing, and enriching people long after the spotlight shifts,” Akande noted, underscoring that sustainability and institutional resilience are at the heart of Oyo’s agribusiness revolution.
Today, Oyo State is no longer simply feeding its people, it is feeding the future. Agro-industrial hubs hum with activity, rural infrastructure empowers productivity, and farmers’ livelihoods are transforming from subsistence to prosperity.
With the Makinde-Akande synergy driving the agenda, Oyo has emerged as a beacon, demonstrating that agriculture, when industrialised and strategically managed, can generate wealth, create employment, and command a place in global markets.
The message is clear and resounding: the agribusiness revolution is not coming, it is already here, and Oyo State is leading the charge.
