News in brief: Nigeria’s FCT is looking to collaborate with Israel on agriculture and security to boost food production. The territory’s minister mentioned plans for establishing farms, engaging youth in agriculture, and ensuring a conducive environment for investors.
Nyesom Wike, the minister of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has expressed the government’s willingness to partner with the State of Israel on agriculture and security.
According to his statement to the press, the move is aimed at boosting overall food production in the country. He made the disclosure when the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, paid him a courtesy visit.
The minister said the FCT has a conducive climate for agriculture and has plans to establish farms in the area and to engage youths in gainful employment. He also assured the visiting ambassador that the administration would continue to provide an enabling environment for investors to carry out legitimate businesses in the territory.
For his part, Freeman assured the minister that the Israeli embassy is committed to following all applicable rules and regulations in the FCT. He added that it is running an ongoing six-month capacity-building program for young Nigerian entrepreneurs and innovators from across the country in Abuja.
The ambassador said the intention of this program was to help to train and provide mentorship to particpants. They will also recieve assistance in building their businesses, including access to funding.
The partnership between the FCT and Israel is expected to boost food production and employment in the territory as well as improve the security situation.
While Israel’s limited arable land (377,000 hectares) is an issue for its agriculture, the country has over 1,800 facilities, making its food processing sector an important player in the domestic economy. Local food companies partner with multi-national manufacturers like Nestlé, Unilever, Danone, and Pepsi Co. to generate billions of dollars annually.
Nigeria can pick up some ideas on creating processing ventures and coupling them with multi-nationals who already sell products in the country. In addition, it can benefit greatly from having more local processing companies as they will improve agricultural value chain.
