Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has unfolded an ambitious plan to make Kwara State the agricultural capital of West Africa and attract more Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) into the sector.

He spoke at the weekend at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, venue of the First National Convention of Kwara State Association of Nigeria (KWASANG), in United Kingdom and Ireland.

To make Nigeria benefit from the ripple effects of the state’s agricultural plan, his government will take the message to the Federal Government on the need to diversify more into agricultural business and, therefore, make backward integration a priority for importers of farm produce.

Speaking to the audience at the Business Development and Investment Forum of the two-day Convention, Ahmed said: "The discovery of crude oil has made us abandon our revenue-generating ability, and not surprisingly, the Federal Government has not had any - perhaps until lately - real policy or plan to attract FDIs into the country since Nigeria became a monotonous economy.

"As a result of their paradigm shift to stimulate growth in the sector, not only will Kwara create a one-stop shop for agricultural business, we’re putting pressure on the Federal Government to make importers of agricultural produce do backward integration."

Ahmed argued that there was no justification for Nigeria to be spending billions of naira importing milk every year, when the country is blessed with the cattle to produce enough both for local consumption and export.

The governor stated that the country was so blessed with human and natural resources that there is enough opportunities for both Nigerians in the Diaspora and other foreign investors to come in and do business with the state.

"The potential in the sector is huge and we have an insatiable appetite to attract foreign investment", he said.

Earlier at the forum, the governor’s aides revealed many attractive incentives already put in 190 communities that have been provided with potable water supply by the state government under its policy of providing 500 meters access to water.

Ahmed said with the supply of water to the communities, the state government had reduced the accessibility ratio to 1km, down from the 1.5km radius it inherited on assumption of office in 2011.

Expressing a determination to continue to implement people-friendly infrastructural projects despite the state’s lean resources, Ahmed assured the gathering of UK-resident Kwarans of his administration’s determination to achieve the 500 meter access by next year.

On electricity supply, the governor said 115 communities have benefitted from the government’s rural and urban electrification programme, adding that more communities are slated to benefit from the scheme in line with his determination to ensure 100 per cent electricity coverage across the state.

While calling the attention of the Kwarans to investment opportunities in the agriculture, health, solid mineral and power sectors of the state’s economy, Governor Ahmed said with the unbundling of the electricity supply in Nigeria, Kwara presents numerous investment opportunities in the power sector.