Okpebholo, UAE Forge Partnership To Transform Edo’s Agro-Economy
As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen international partnerships and attract strategic investments into Edo State’s agricultural sector, the government is deepening bilateral ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A high-powered government delegation from Edo state led by Commissioner for Livestock Development, Ohimai Ehijimetor, paid an official visit to the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Abuja, where talks with the Ambassador, Salem Al Shamsi centered on mutual cooperation in agricultural expansion, livestock production, as well as trade and investment.
The meeting focused on the establishment of a framework between the Edo state government and the diplomatic mission, to spur long-term private sector investments and value-chain development, taking advantage of the Nigeria-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was signed in January 2026, to eliminate trade barriers and depeen economic cooperation.
Briefing Ambassador Al Shamsi, the delegation highlighted Edo State’s rich resource base, underscoring major investment opportunities in crop farming, specifically oil palm, cocoa, pineapple, maize and cassava as well as cattle, goat, poultry and fish farming in the livestock sub-sector.
The commissioner assured UAE investors of a favourable business climate, vast arable land, and state -backed incentives designed to yield maximum returns.
The delegation formally informed the UAE diplomat of the forthcoming Edo International Agricultural and Livestock Investment Summit, slated to take place in Abuja this December. The summit is expected to gather institutional investors, agritech innovators, and global policymakers to explore joint ventures in commercial agriculture.
In his response, Ambassador Salem Al Shamsi commended the initiative of the Edo State Government under Governor Monday Okpebholo. The UAE envoy pledged the full cooperation of his embassy toward the successful hosting of the December summit and committed to mobilizing UAE-based investors and business groups to participate actively.
The high point of the visit was the presentation of an official gift from His Excellency Governor Monday Okpebholo to Ambassador Al Shamsi as a gesture of goodwill and a symbol of the growing friendship between Edo State and the UAE.
The delegation led by Edo State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Ohimai Ehijimetor included Special Adviser on Livestock Development, Roland Ignadumhe, Senior Special Assistant on Agriculture and Food Security, Emmanuel Sule and Project Coordinator of Edo State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (LPRES), Betsy Ikpikhumi.
Addressing newsmen after the meeting, the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Ohimai Ehijimetor disclosed that the UAE meeting is the first in the series of bilateral engagements scheduled to hold between Edo State Government and diplomatic missions in Nigeria, as the State prepares to host its forthcoming Edo International Agricultural and Livestock Investment Summit later this year in Abuja.
