Former Botswana President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has called on the Nigerian government to create a more enabling environment for farmers to thrive.
Mr Masisi made the appeal after touring Agbeyewa Farms in Ekiti State, where he said stronger institutional support for agriculture would enhance food security and stimulate sustainable economic growth across the country.
He said the nation could generate wealth and achieve lasting prosperity by making consistent, long-term investments across the agricultural sector and its value chains.
Mr Masisi said: “The government is to provide an enabling environment. Enabling the environment is policy-driven. It’s a legal infrastructure regulator framework and incentivization. As a government, you incentivise through tax breaks. You incentivise through schemes that are subsidies. Because there’s nowhere in the world where agriculture is not subsidised.
“So, it’s not a crime to subsidise agriculture because by doing so, the government is providing sustainable jobs and sustainable living. Of course, this will also enhance sustainable nutrition. When all these are applied, investors and government agencies can also diversify the area of agricultural output.”
Wildlife economy
He further urged the government and private investors to explore opportunities within the wildlife economy.
Mr Masisi highlighted that Nigeria is forfeiting billions of naira by not developing its wildlife sector, which he noted is a significant source of revenue for his own country.
“There’s a whole wildlife economy that I have asked John and all the Nigerians I have come across. Where is your wildlife economy? We generate hundreds of millions from our wildlife economy. In Botswana? Yes. We make money from elephants, zebras, antelopes, crocodiles”, he said.
Mr Masisi praised Agbeyewa Farms Chairman, Niyi Olajide, and his team for their decisive and timely leadership.
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He noted that the farm’s adoption of advanced technology and investment in its workforce demonstrated a promising future for Agbeyewa.
Mr Masisi further commended Mr Olajide as a dedicated African, committed to creating employment opportunities and driving economic growth across the continent.
Cultivation
Responding, Mr Olajide explained that he and his team are shifting focus towards processing, while striving to refine cultivation, aggregation, and all aspects of agricultural trading.
He added that they are taking every possible step to optimise the cassava value chain, aiming to generate more jobs and expand opportunities for a wider community.
“We are about moving into processing as we are working towards perfecting cultivation, perfecting aggregation and perfecting just everything around agric-trading. We are determined to ensure that we maximise all value addition and processing. All the things that can be beneficial to people, such as ethanol, cassava starch, and high-quality cassava flour.”
Agbeyewa Farms, the world’s largest cassava farm, aims to enhance food security, provide raw materials for industry, and create sustainable jobs by implementing modern farming techniques.