Borno Targets Regional Economic Hub Status, Woos Investors for Agric, Livestock Industries

–      State seeks private capital to transform raw produce, rebuild livelihoods, unlock cross-border trade

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Borno State Government has unveiled plans to transform the state into a regional hub for agricultural processing, livestock industries and cross-border commerce, inviting private investors to exploit its productive potential as it seeks to rebuild an economy battered by years of insurgency.

The government said its economic recovery strategy would prioritise moving beyond the production and transportation of raw agricultural commodities and livestock to establishing processing industries, storage facilities, manufacturing enterprises and export-oriented businesses capable of creating jobs and retaining more economic value within the state.

At a Private Sector Engagement and Investment Roundtable in Abuja, the government identified agriculture, livestock, renewable energy, housing, manufacturing and regional logistics as major investment opportunities, urging businesses and financial institutions to partner with it in converting the state’s resources into commercially viable enterprises.

The Chief Adviser and Coordinator, Sustainable Development, Partnership and Humanitarian Response, Dr. Mairo Mandara, said Borno had the potential to become a major production and trading centre, given its agricultural resources, livestock population and strategic location bordering Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

She argued the state’s recovery would remain incomplete unless reconstruction and humanitarian interventions translated into productive businesses, sustainable employment and improved incomes for residents.

Mandara said more than 60 per cent of Borno’s population depended on agriculture, identifying rice, cowpeas, groundnuts, onions, vegetables and other commodities as areas with considerable investment potential.

However, she said the greatest opportunity lay beyond farming, particularly in processing, packaging, certification, storage, transportation and access to domestic and international markets.

She called for integrated agricultural value chains that would connect farmers with aggregators, processors, equipment suppliers, transporters, financial institutions and buyers, enabling the state to capture greater value from its agricultural output.

On livestock, Mandara urged investors to look beyond the conventional movement of animals between markets and explore the industries that could be developed around Borno’s livestock resources.

She identified opportunities in animal feed production, veterinary services, dairy processing, meat processing, cold storage, leather and hide processing, insurance and livestock transportation.

According to her, developing these interconnected industries would create opportunities for farmers, herders, processors, traders, young entrepreneurs and financial institutions while strengthening Borno’s access to regional markets.

She said the state’s geographical position offered an opportunity to develop a regional trade and logistics network linking Nigeria with neighbouring countries, particularly through investments in warehousing, commodity aggregation, cold-chain facilities, transport services and digital payments.

Mandara also identified renewable energy as a critical component of the proposed economic transformation, saying Borno’s solar potential could support irrigation, agricultural processing, cold storage and emerging industrial clusters.

She called for investments in decentralised solar power systems to help businesses overcome electricity constraints and improve the commercial viability of enterprises.

Beyond agriculture and livestock, she said reconstruction and resettlement were generating demand for affordable housing, building materials, hospitality, retail businesses and other services.

Mandara maintained that resettlement should be approached not merely as a humanitarian exercise but as an opportunity to develop economically viable communities supported by businesses, employment and essential services.

She challenged investors to move beyond expressions of interest and commit capital to viable projects, stressing that the success of the engagement should be measured by businesses established, investments mobilised and jobs created.

“Government has invested significantly in reconstruction, infrastructure, education, healthcare and agriculture. This is not the destination. It is the foundation for businesses,” she said.

Addressing concerns about the security environment, Mandara acknowledged that investors would need to consider security, infrastructure and project viability but urged them to adopt a phased approach, beginning with relatively stable locations and expanding as conditions improved.

She also called on financial institutions to develop innovative financing arrangements, including guarantees, insurance and risk-sharing mechanisms, to enable small businesses and agricultural enterprises to access credit.

“We are not asking financial institutions to lend blindly. We are asking you to help make our businesses bankable,” she said.

To translate the investment opportunities into actual commitments, Mandara proposed a 90-day follow-up framework under which the first month would focus on identifying projects, assets and prospective partners, the second on technical, commercial, security and social assessments, and the final month on preparing decision-ready investment proposals.

She further urged Borno indigenes in the diaspora to contribute capital, professional expertise, technology and business networks to the state’s economic recovery.

Earlier, the Chief of Staff to Governor Babagana Zulum, Dr. Babagana Malumbe, who represented the governor, said the state was transitioning from emergency humanitarian dependence towards private sector-led growth and market-driven development.

He said the government had made progress in restoring stability and rebuilding the economy through the efforts of the Armed Forces, security agencies and deliberate investments in peacebuilding.

Malumbe identified agriculture, livestock and fisheries, manufacturing, finance, trade, micro, small and medium enterprises, services and urban infrastructure as priority sectors.

He said the government was strengthening the Borno State Investment Promotion Agency (BOSIPA), streamlining administrative procedures and improving the ease of doing business through reforms in land administration, public-private partnerships and fiscal incentives.

He added that sector-specific investment clinics would bring investors together with government officials and technical teams to examine opportunities, structure projects and facilitate investment commitments.

The government said the broader objective was to make private investment a central driver of Borno’s economic recovery, with businesses playing a greater role in rebuilding livelihoods, expanding production and creating sustainable employment.