The Kogi State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming the agricultural sector and improving farmers’ livelihoods through the recently signed Food for Lagos partnership.
The landmark agreement with Lagos State aimed to establish a sustainable food supply chain between the two states, leveraging Kogi’s vast agricultural output to meet Lagos’ large consumer market demands.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Lokoja, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, described the initiative as a strategic move that has already begun to yield action.
“The Governor didn’t just go there to sign papers,. He has since returned home to roll up his sleeves and make the partnership a huge success.
”With the Governor’s efforts, Kogi farmers will earn more from their agricultural produce, ” he said.
Fanwo disclosed that less than two weeks after the deal was sealed, Governor Ahmed Ododo had launched tangible steps to ramp up food production, upgrade infrastructure, and attract investments into Kogi’s agricultural value chain.
The commissioner revealed that the State Ministry of Agriculture had mapped out key crop production zones across the state, aligning each region with its comparative advantage.
He noted that Kogi was already a top cassava producer in Nigeria and West Africa and was working towards becoming dominant in other areas of food production.
“We are not just talking about being the food basket of the nation, we are taking real steps to become one,” Fanwo stated.
He praised Governor Ododo for making agriculture a central pillar of his administration’s development strategy.
“During his campaigns and in his inaugural speech, he emphasised the need for Kogi to be self-sufficient in food production. Today, he is fulfilling that promise.”
Fanwo also pointed to key projects like RAAMP (Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project), which is rehabilitating critical rural roads to enhance farmers’ market access, and ACReSAL (Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes), which is injecting resources into vulnerable farming communities.
“Agriculture in Kogi is receiving the biggest attention it has ever received. Our youth and women from Ibaji to Gegu and Egbe are now fully involved in the agricultural revival sweeping across the state, ” he said.
The Commissioner noted that rising confidence among farmers has been buoyed by the state’s improving security situation in rural areas, which is encouraging more cultivation and investment.
Fanwo described the Food for Lagos partnership as a “game-changer” with the potential to transform both states.
“With sustained implementation, this partnership will make Kogi farmers richer and the state stronger economically,” he said.
