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Another win for Nigeria at WFP dialogue as AfDB, partners vote additional $1b to fund SAPZs in 24 states
It was yet another bountiful harvest for the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in its investment drive, as the African Development Bank (AfDB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development hinted on Thursday that they have voted $1 billion to further deliver special agro-industrial processing zones in 24 States of Nigeria.

This is in addition to an initial $520 million voted by the development partners for the development of eight special agro-industrial processing zones in Nigeria.
President of African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, disclosed this at the Norman Borlaug International Dialogue, World Food Prize 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa, United States of America.
A statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, said that Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is attending the event in pursuance of the food security and diversification policy of the Tinubu administration, had on Wednesday delivered his keynote address at the ongoing Dialogue.
Delivering his own speech titled, “From Dakar to Des Moines,” Dr. Adesina noted that the decision to pump such huge funds into Nigeria’s agribusiness was part of the resolve to develop Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) in 13 countries.
Explaining that it was the core of the food and agriculture delivery compacts from the Dakar 2 Summit held earlier this year in Dakar, Senegal, the AfDB President said, “We are investing heavily in the development of SAPZs to support the development of agricultural value chains, food processing and value addition, enabling infrastructure and logistics to promote local, regional, and international trade in food.
“The African Development Bank Group is investing $853 million in the development of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, and it has mobilized additional co-financing of $661 million, for a total commitment of $1.5 billion. We are deploying effective partnerships at scale. We are currently implementing 25 Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones in 13 countries.
“For example, the African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development provided $520 million for the development of 8 special agro-industrial processing zones in Nigeria. The second phase of the program aims to mobilize an additional $1 billion to deliver special agro-industrial processing zones in 24 States of Nigeria”.
Dr. Adesina regretted that while much progress had “been made in African agriculture, 283 million people still go to bed hungry in Africa, about a third of the 828 million people that suffer hunger globally.”
He however described the Norman Borlaug International Dialogue World Food Prize 2023, as a “journey and narrative of how we are combining the power of science, technology, policies, and politics to ensure that Africa fully unlocks its agricultural potential, and feeds itself, with pride.”
The AfDB President thanked Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde, for participating in the global event, saying their presence is an indication “that Africa has the political will and is fully ready to tackle food insecurity and make hunger history” on the continent.
Also speaking during the fire-side chat with the AfDB President, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, Vice President Kashim Shettima who spoke on the Tinubu administration’s initiatives for food security said the quality of present leadership in Nigeria and the rest of Africa will drive transformation in agriculture and other sectors.
According to him, “a nation falls or rises fundamentally due to the quality of its leadership. Right now Africa is blessed with quite a handful of quality leaders that have the drive, passion and skills set to redefine the meaning and concept of modern leadership.
“Bola Ahmed Tinubu, my boss, is a good example, Macky Sall of Senegal and of course, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt are doing wonderfully well, just to mention a few of the African leaders that are distinguishing themselves in leadership.
“I want to assure this gathering of investors and stakeholders in the agricultural sector that my boss, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a quintessential 21st century modern African leader who is determined to redefine the meaning and concept of modern leadership.
“Be rest assured that there will be a sea change in the fortunes of the Nigerian nation and by extension the African continent in the next couple of years because Nigeria is an anchor nation,” the VP added.
On wheat production, Sen. Shettima said “our target towards wheat production in Nigeria is to achieve 50% self-sufficiency in the next 3 cycles. It is inconceivable that we are the second largest wheat importer in the world.
“Luckily, we have already procured the heat tolerant variety of wheat seeds and we are going to drive that process by supporting the farmers with the heat tolerant variety, agricultural extension services, fertilizer and also hope to increase the irrigation areas to 1 million hectares in the next cropping cycle.
“We need to produce about 2.4 million tonnes of wheat grains in Nigeria. We are going to reach out to our farmers through small irrigation schemes and through digitalisation. All the actors in the value chain will be sufficiently taken care of through innovative finance, partial credit guarantees and crop insurance,” the VP emphasized.
For rice production, the VP said the major challenge for Nigeria is the insufficiency of paddy rice. He noted that Nigeria has adequate milling capacity but “we need to produce 3 to 4 million tonnes of paddy rice to meet our requirement of about 2.5 million tonnes per annum. We have 75 million hectares of arable land and most of it is suited for rice cultivation.”
He added that “we will provide our farmers with certified seeds, fertilizer, extension services, the digitization of services, inputs, finance and market information. Our target is to achieve self-sufficiency in rice latest by 2027.”
The VP also spoke about the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs), reiterating the Tinubu administration’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for investors in the zones.
He said the government would create an SAPZ development authority that will operate like a one-stop shop where regulatory and associated issues will be addressed.
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Breaking: Elon Musk’s wealth surges back to trillion dollars
Elon Musk’s wealth has again topped US$1 trillion as stocks of his companies SpaceX and Tesla surged.
Forbes estimated the world’s richest man’s net worth at $1 trillion on Monday, an increase of $30.6 billion from Friday last week, the last stock market trading day.
The gain reinforces Musk’s position as the world’s wealthiest person, far ahead of Bezos, who ranks second with a fortune of $371.5 billion. Google co-founder Larry Page followed with $284.3 billion, while Dell Technologies chairman Michael Dell ranked fourth with $272.2 billion.
`Musk became the world’s first trillionaire in June as SpaceX shares soared following its record-breaking initial public offering, but soon lost that status when the stock fell amid concerns about the company’s lofty valuation, according to Bloomberg.
His fortune has approached the trillion-dollar threshold again in recent days as both companies’ shares rallied. Tesla’s third-quarter deliveries exceeded analysts’ expectations last week, helping increase Musk’s wealth by $61 billion on Friday alone.
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Dangote makes case for domestic production at Abuja trade fair
The Dangote Group has reaffirmed the critical role of domestic production in strengthening Nigeria’s economic resilience.
The Group stated this weekend through its Group General Manager, Mr. Abdullahi Bello Danmusa, who represented the Regional Director/Senior Adviser to the Dangote Group President/CE, Fatima Wali-Abdurrahman, at the Dangote Special Day at the ongoing Abuja International Trade Fair.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s Trade Fair, “Resilience: Trade, Taxation and the Economy,” Mr. Danmusa said taxation remains a fundamental component of national development, stressing that Dangote Group takes its tax obligations seriously and contributes substantial revenues to government annually, while also supporting employment, enterprise and value creation across its operations.
He said trade could achieve greater economic impact when it is supported by strong domestic productive capacity.
“Trade becomes more meaningful when it is supported by production. No country can build lasting resilience by depending excessively on imports that it has the capacity to produce competitively at home.
“This is why Dangote Group continues to invest in manufacturing and industrial capacity across cement, sugar, salt and seasoning, packaging, fertiliser, petrochemicals and petroleum refining.
“The theme of this year’s Trade Fair, ‘Resilience: Trade, Taxation and the Economy,’ speaks directly to the realities of our time.
“Nigeria’s economic resilience will ultimately depend on a fundamental choice: to continue to import what we can produce, or build the capacity to produce, compete and export.”
Danmusa noted that strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity would help deepen economic activity, create jobs, support local enterprises and reduce excessive dependence on imported products.
He added that the Group’s investments across various sectors reflect its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s industrialisation and contributing to the development of a more productive and resilient economy.
Also speaking at the Dangote Special Day, the First Deputy President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Prof. Adebisi Adesugba, commended Dangote Industries for its contribution to Nigeria’s economic development.
Adesugba, who represented the President of ACCI, Emeka Obegolu, SAN, said the longstanding partnership between Dangote and the Chamber demonstrates the important
He noted that Dangote’s strategic investments in sectors including cement, fertiliser, agriculture, refining and petrochemicals have contributed to strengthening domestic productive capacity, creating employment opportunities, reducing dependence on imports and supporting foreign exchange generation.
“ACCI recognises Dangote not only as an exhibitor and sponsor, but also as a strategic partner.”
He said the partnership between ACCI and Dangote has contributed to creating opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs while supporting trade, investment and sustainable economic development.
Adesugba further expressed the Chamber’s appreciation for Dangote’s longstanding relationship and partnership with ACCI, describing the collaboration as an important platform for strengthening the business community and advancing economic opportunities.
The Dangote Special Day brought together business leaders, government representatives, investors, exhibitors, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders as part of activities at the ongoing Abuja International Trade Fair.
Also speaking at the Dangote Special Day, the First Deputy President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Prof. Adebisi Adesugba, commended Dangote Industries for its contribution to Nigeria’s economic development.
Adesugba, who represented the President of ACCI, Emeka Obegolu, SAN, said the longstanding partnership between Dangote and the Chamber demonstrates the important role of responsible corporate participation in promoting commerce, investment and entrepreneurship in Nigeria and across the African sub-region.
He noted that Dangote’s strategic investments in sectors including cement, fertiliser, agriculture, refining and petrochemicals have contributed to strengthening domestic productive capacity, creating employment opportunities, reducing dependence on imports and supporting foreign exchange generation.
“ACCI recognises Dangote not only as an exhibitor and sponsor, but also as a strategic partner.”
He said the partnership between ACCI and Dangote has contributed to creating opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs while supporting trade, investment and sustainable economic development.
Adesugba further expressed the Chamber’s appreciation for Dangote’s longstanding relationship and partnership with ACCI, describing the collaboration as an important platform for strengthening the business community and advancing economic opportunities.
The Dangote Special Day brought together business leaders, government representatives, investors, exhibitors, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders as part of activities at the ongoing Abuja International Trade Fair.
The event provided an opportunity for stakeholders to engage on issues around taxation, trade, industrialisation, investment, domestic production and the broader prospects for Nigeria’s economic development.
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Police high command mobilise to rescue 20 NYSC members abducted in Imo
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of Operations, Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to provide operational leadership and strengthen ongoing efforts to rescue the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road at Umunoha on October 1, 2026.
Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, CSP Anietie Iniedu, disclosed in a statement on Friday that DIG Nadada arrived Imo State alongside two Commissioners of Police and immediately carried out an on-the-spot assessment of the security situation and the search-and-rescue operations being coordinated by the Imo State Police Command.
During the visit, the DIG reviewed operational strategies, personnel deployments, and the utilization of security assets. He also issued fresh directives aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the coordinated rescue mission.
The assessment was conducted in the company of the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Audu Garba Bosso; the Commissioner of Police, Federal Operations, CP Akpan Anifiok; the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Mobile Force, CP Nendel Joseph Gomwalk; other service commanders; and members of the Imo State Police Command management team.
According to Iniedu, the police have intensified the search operation, deploying additional tactical teams and operational resources to identified locations.
He said the operation was being reinforced through intelligence-led efforts to track the abductors, alongside coordinated operations with other security agencies.
Nadada, according to the statement, assured members of the public that the police would continue working to secure the safe release of those abducted.
“The Nigeria Police Force is committed to securing the safe rescue of the 20 abducted persons and will sustain the operation until the mission is successfully concluded,” Iniedu quoted Nadada as saying.
The DIG appealed to members of the public and the media to remain calm and vigilant, while urging anyone with credible information that could assist the rescue operation to report to the police or the nearest security formation.
“All information received will be treated with strict confidentiality,” he said.
The police said further information on the rescue operation would be made available as developments unfold.
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