Expert urges Oyo community to adopt agriculture, crafts for economic growth
The recently concluded Okeho Economic and Industrial Awareness Summit 2025 has brought to light the immense potential of agriculture and agribusiness in driving economic growth for the historic town of Okeho, Oyo State. The summit, convened by Egbe Omo Ibile Okeho, gathered experts and stakeholders to explore strategies for economic transformation, particularly through agriculture and traditional crafts.
Professor Olaniyi Babayemi, President of the Nigerian Society of Animal Protection, highlighted Okeho’s rich agricultural landscape, emphasizing the cultivation of garlic, turmeric, ginger, locust beans, okra, limes, and groundnuts, alongside traditional crafts such as weaving, pottery, beadwork, and blacksmithing. He stressed the need for modernizing agricultural practices while preserving heritage, citing infrastructure deficits, workforce limitations, and the absence of a structured economic development strategy as major hindrances to progress.
To tackle these challenges, Babayemi proposed the development of a strategic economic plan, an investor task force, workforce training programs, and an investment summit within the next 12 months.
Further emphasizing agribusiness, Kolawole Adeniyi, Chairman/CEO of Niji Group, outlined key strategies for revitalizing Okeho’s economy. He advocated for empowering farmers with modern techniques, improving seed quality, establishing strong market linkages, enhancing value-added processing, and ensuring better access to financing. Adeniyi believes Okeho has all the right conditions to transition from a subsistence economy to a thriving agribusiness hub, ensuring sustainable growth and prosperity.
With the active participation of government representatives, entrepreneurs, and traditional rulers, the summit underscored the need for actionable strategies to drive local economic development. Stakeholders have expressed optimism that the summit’s resolutions will lead to tangible improvements in Okeho’s economic landscape.
Source- Punch
Expert Review for Agri-Food Stakeholders
The resolutions from the summit signal key opportunities and challenges for agri-food stakeholders, from farmers and agribusiness investors to policymakers and financial institutions. Emphasizing agribusiness development and economic transformation, these insights can help shape a more productive, profitable, and sustainable agricultural sector in Okeho and beyond.
- Opportunities in Agribusiness Expansion – Okeho’s fertile land presents a huge potential for commercial farming. Investors and agripreneurs can explore value-added processing and market-driven production to enhance profitability.
- Access to Agricultural Finance – The push for improved financing options for farmers aligns with broader efforts to boost agribusiness investment in Nigeria. Stakeholders can collaborate with financial institutions to provide tailored funding solutions for local farmers.
- Skill Development and Workforce Training – The call for capacity-building programs highlights the need for training initiatives in modern farming, processing, and agribusiness management, ensuring improved productivity and sustainability.
- Infrastructure Development for Market Linkages – Enhancing transportation, storage, and processing facilities will be critical in improving supply chains and reducing post-harvest losses, ensuring that farm produce reaches markets efficiently.
- Government and Private Sector Collaboration – The establishment of an Investor Task Force and planned Investment Summit presents opportunities for public-private partnerships, which can drive investments in agribusiness and local economic development.
Okeho’s emerging agribusiness ecosystem presents a strategic opportunity for stakeholders to play an active role in shaping a thriving agricultural economy. Collaboration, innovation, and sustainable investment will be key to unlocking the town’s full economic potential.
