President Maada Bio and Governor Makinde of Oyo State

*Not Depending on Imports From Ukraine, Others

  Abubakar Hashim

At the ongoing International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) gathering in Ibadan, Nigeria, President Julius Maada Bio has suggested the urgent need for “Africa to move beyond discussions and theories in over three decades now, and take concrete steps toward agricultural integration to boost sufficiency and exports to neighbouring countries”.

President Maada Bio, Governor Makinde of Oyo State and others on tour of IITA

For a start, Bio called for “ free movement of goods and services across borders, to ensure food sovereignty and to export to neighbouring countries like Liberia, Ghana and Senegal, rather than solely depending on imports from Ukraine”.

Commenting further on his visit to IITA, he revealed: “I want to personally assess best practices in modern agricultural development, rather than relying on my Agriculture Minister, in order to get first hand what is possible and to explore opportunities for collaboration “.

Bio further remarked the pivotal role of modern and innovative agriculture to the Africa’s GDP, citing his country and Nigeria as examples of the high levels of agriculture to the GDP, away from traditional minerals like iron ore, diamond and oil.

He was accorded standing ovation by members of the IITA panel, including former World Bank VP, Hafez Ghanem.