The Edo State government has reaffirmed its commitment to international partnerships by deepening bilateral ties in enhancing agricultural expansion, livestock production, trade and investment.
A delegation of the state led by the Edo State Commissioner for Livestock Development Mr. Ohimai Ehijimetor who visited the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria at Salem Saeed Al Shamsi said the government was committed to ongoing efforts to strengthen international partnerships and attract strategic investments into Edo State’s agricultural sector.
The meeting was facilitated and coordinated by Mr. Emmanuel Sule, Senior Special Assistant to the Edo State governor on Agriculture and Food Security.
The core focus of the high-level meeting was to establish a framework between the 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 deepen economic cooperation.
The delegation briefed Ambassador Al Shamsi of 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 favorable 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 for Abuja in December, aimed at gathering institutional investors, agritech innovators, and global policymakers to explore joint ventures in commercial agriculture.
In his response, Ambassador Salem Saeed 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.
Speaking to the Media after the meeting, the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Mr. Ohimai Ehijimetor informed the news crew, that this is the first of 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.