Date: 2012-04-19

Foreign investors have been invited to take advantage of Kwara State's conducive policy environment, suitable weather, arable land and abundant fresh water by investing in the state's agricultural and solid mineral sectors.

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, on the Netherlands leg of a three-nation investment drive, extended the invitation during a meeting with the Dutch Vice Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr. Simon Smits at The Hague on Wednesday.

The aim of the trade mission to The Netherlands, he said, was to learn best practices in commercial agriculture as well as invite Dutch companies to invest in Kwara State.

'We are coming up with a working model that will take our people out of subsistence farming. We aim to benchmark against best practices and create synergy with countries such as The Netherlands which have a strong agro-economy', said Ahmed.

Governor Ahmed said that having successfully implemented a bold commercial agriculture venture through Shonga Farms, the state is ready to enter into public-private partnership ventures with interested investors in agriculture and other key sectors of the state's economy. He pointed to the state's recent €280m joint venture with Spanish investors and a $150 American Agro Processing Complex in the state as evidence of Kwara's successful PPP ventures in agriculture.

Furthermore, he pointed to the state's business-friendly tax regime, land acquisition procedures and an interlinked growth strategy as other policies beneficial to investment in the state.

On infrastructure, Governor Ahmed said the state has one of the best road networks in the country which he stressed were geared towards supporting other key sectors such as agriculture, job creation, education, health, and solid mineral development.

In addition, Ahmed pointed to the State's Cargo Terminal which, according to him, has the only wet station in the country as well as the capacity to aid the transportation of agricultural produce from the state to other parts of the country and the world.

With the on-going reforms in the power sector, he said, further investment opportunities exist in the area of power generation, transmission and distribution where the state was also ready to partner with foreign partners in view of the potential economic and social benefits.

Speaking earlier, Smits applauded Ahmed's strides in agriculture especially the determination to leverage on the state's strengths in the sector to stimulate economic growth in the state.

He pledged Netherland's readiness to support the state's agriculture policies in a way that will ensure the state avoids costly mistakes but make quantum leaps in agricultural development.

By Femi Akorede