_August 23, 2026 | 12:15 PM_
_By Oladele Abiodun_
The Ekiti State Government says it is pursuing up to $500 million in industrial and trade investments from Egypt to boost industrialisation and create direct and indirect jobs in the state.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday.
Boluwade said the Ekiti–Egypt Industrial Investment Mission “generated a pipeline of opportunities capable of mobilising up to US$500 million in industrial and trade investment for the state.”
According to him, the five-day mission held in Egypt last month brought the Ekiti delegation into discussions with over 40 Egyptian industrialists, manufacturers, processors, agribusinesses, mining operators, and investors.
He added that the engagements resulted in eight Expressions of Interest across agriculture, agro-processing, commercial farming, seed production, textiles, manufacturing, and solid minerals.
“We want to build agricultural value chains where farmers have reliable markets, processors have access to the volumes and quality they need, and more of the value from our agricultural resources stays within Ekiti,” Boluwade said.
“Connecting production to industry is central to our food security, job creation, and economic development agenda.”
The Commissioner for Investment, Trade and Industry, Omotayo Adeola, said the state was now focused on converting interest into action.
“Our focus now is conversion — moving from Expressions of Interest to site visits, commercial agreements, capital deployment, factories, and jobs,” she said.
“Ekiti is open to serious industrialists and investors from Egypt and across the world who are ready to build productive businesses here.”
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transformation and Service Delivery, Dr. John Ekundayo, said the real test of the mission would be its impact on the ground.
He listed the expected outcomes as job creation, stronger businesses, increased productivity, and new economic activity.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that credible investors can move efficiently from interest to implementation,” he added.
The Founder of Welcome2Africa International, Bamidele Owoola, said the mission showed the level of international interest that could be mobilised around Ekiti’s industrial opportunities.
