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The 7th edition of the Nigeria International Agricultural Expo (NIAEXPO 2025) opened on Tuesday in Abuja with massive participation from local and international stakeholders, highlighting innovation, inclusivity, and the prospects of achieving Nigeria’s 2030 agricultural vision.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Project Coordinator of NIAEXPO 2025 and Executive Director of Agriquest Africa Network, Mr. Abiodun Olaniyi, said the annual fair was designed to showcase Nigeria’s agricultural potential while building stronger partnerships across the value chain.

He revealed that the expo attracted participants from countries including Indonesia, China, India, the United States and Canada, alongside several Nigerian states. According to him, the event provided a platform for both local and foreign exhibitors to promote groundbreaking innovations that could address challenges in the agricultural sector.

“We saw a wide range of innovations from SMEs and MSMEs. International exhibitors also brought unique solutions, including organic farming practices, agroecology models and locally assembled electric vehicles for agro-logistics. These are important steps toward solving challenges in the agricultural value chain,” Olaniyi said.

He emphasised that the 2025 edition underscored Nigeria’s potential to achieve sustainable agriculture by 2030, stressing the organisers’ deliberate efforts to include persons with disabilities as part of their inclusivity drive. He further expressed confidence that next year’s edition would expand in scope and impact.

Also speaking, Mr. Tony Ifeakandu, Managing Director of Autodex Limited, disclosed that his company presented a locally assembled electric tricycle aimed at providing affordable transport solutions for farmers. He noted that Autodex would host the Farm, Machinery, Food, Agro Technology Expo and Conference (FAMFATEC) in November, where stakeholders including AfriExim Bank and U.S. Exim Bank are expected to deliberate on export financing, organic farming, genetically modified organisms and strategies for reviving Nigerian agriculture.

Highlighting logistics as a key challenge in the sector, Ifeakandu explained that the cost of transporting farm produce was a major driver of food inflation. He said Autodex’s seven-seater electric tricycle was designed as a cost-efficient alternative to conventional vehicles, with significantly reduced maintenance and operating costs.

In his remarks, Dr. Rohit Berry, Chairman of Contec Global Agro Limited (CGAL), emphasised the need for biological solutions to boost food security and minimise the health risks associated with chemical farming. He noted that high chemical residues in Nigerian crops had hindered access to international markets, but disclosed that CGAL had developed 23 bio-products for combating major crop diseases. The company, he said, had also established more than 250,000 demonstration farms nationwide, tested the products with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and secured NAFDAC registrations.

Berry urged the Federal Government to support innovative agro-initiatives capable of unlocking Nigeria’s vast arable land for sustainable food production.

On his part, the Minister of Livestock Development, Mr. Idi Maiha, represented by Dr. Alike Peter, reiterated government’s commitment to repositioning the livestock sector for global competitiveness. He explained that the ministry had launched the Nigeria Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS), harmonising existing policies to grow the livestock sector’s value from 32 billion dollars in 2025 to 74 billion dollars by 2035, driven by private sector and subnational government partnerships.

Similarly, the Executive Director of the National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi, Dr. Mohammed Ndagi Ishaq, disclosed that the institute had developed new rice varieties to enhance nutrition and productivity.

He called on stakeholders to collaborate with the institute for licensing and adoption, stressing that despite government’s push for self-sufficiency, Nigeria’s rice production still lags behind demand.

“We must increase productivity and expand the adoption of improved seeds. NCRI is committed to driving that process,” Ishaq said, urging participants to take advantage of the expo to explore available technologies.

With innovation, inclusivity and sustainability at its core, the 2025 Nigeria International Agricultural Expo, which closes on Thursday, August 28, has been positioned as a crucial platform for shaping the future of Nigeria’s agricultural sector and deepening global partnerships.

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